Minnesota Soybean Crop Expected to be Record Size This Year

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota farmers are planning to seed less corn and wheat this year, but will be planting more soybeans.

It’s a trend playing out in many states, with surpluses of corn and what in storage in the U.S.

The Agriculture Department says in its prospective plantings report that it expects Minnesota farmers to seed 1.3 million acres of spring wheat, down 20,000 acres from last year. Corn acres are expected to be down 450,000 acres to 8 million, the fewest since 2010.

Soybean acres in the state are expected to hit a record, up 9-percent to 8.3 million.

Minnesota’s oat, barley, sugar beet, and sunflower crops are all expected to be smaller this year.

Wisconsin farmers are also expected to be planting an increase in soybean crops; around 2.2 million acres.