US Farmers Plant Record Amounts of Corn and Soybeans Amid Supply Concerns

US farmers have planted a record amount of corn and soybeans in the 2026/27 season, according to a report from the USDA. The combined planted acreage of the two crops reached 183.5 million acres, surpassing the previous record by more than 3 million acres. This marks a significant increase in both corn and soybean plantings, with corn acres rising by 1.4 million acres to 96.7 million acres, while soybean planted acres also increased by 1.4 million to 86.8 million acres.

The USDA's report shows that despite dropping the corn yield by 2.3 bushels per acre, production is expected to reach 16.013 billion bushels. Soybean production, on the other hand, is projected to hit a record 4.519 billion bushels, with a yield of 52.7 bushels per acre.

However, not all experts are pleased with the increased plantings. Kevin Van Trump, president and founder of Farm Direction and the Van Trump Report, expressed concern about the higher corn acres, stating that it's a 'supply-side risk that cannot be ignored.' Meanwhile, Karen Braun, chief market analyst at Zaner Ag Hedge, questioned why the June survey was suddenly deemed inaccurate.