USDA Reports Record Corn and Soybean Acreage Planted

U.S. farmers have planted a record amount of corn and soybean acres in 2026, according to the USDA's August crop reports.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that farmers planted 96.7 million acres of corn and 86.8 million acres of soybeans, totaling 183.5 million acres combined. Both estimates were raised by 1.4 million acres from previous projections.

The added acreage is expected to compensate for a lower yield forecast in both crops. For corn, the USDA lowered its national yield projection to 180.7 bushels per acre, down 2.3 bushels from July's estimate of 183 bushels. However, with more acres expected to be harvested, total production was slightly raised to 16.013 billion bushels.

The soybean crop is projected to reach a record high, with the USDA forecasting a 4.519 billion-bushel crop based on 86.8 million planted acres and an average yield of 52.7 bushels per acre.