Minnesota farmers intend to plant 7.8 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2022, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — Prospective Plantings report released by the Minnesota Field Office. This is down 600,000 acres from 2021.

Producers intend to plant 8 million acres of soybeans in Minnesota this year, 350,000 acres higher than 2021.

Spring wheat producers intend to plant 1.26 million acres, up 50,000 acres from last year.

Minnesota farmers intend to plant 230,000 acres of oats for all purposes, up 50,000 acres from last year; and 50,000 acres of barley, down 5,000 acres from last year.

Farmers in Minnesota expect to harvest 1.16 million acres of all dry hay for the 2022 crop year. This is 70,000 acres above last year.

Growers intend to plant 424,000 acres of sugarbeets, down 3,000 acres from 2021; and 63,000 acres of sunflowers, up 6,000 acres from 2021. Oil sunflower intentions, at 60,000 acres, are 6,000 acres above 2021; nonoil sunflower planting intentions, at 3,000 acres, are unchanged from last year.

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers' 2022 planting intentions. NASS acreage estimates are based primarily on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of approximately 73,000 farm operators across the United States, with more than 3,100 from Minnesota. Actual plantings will depend upon weather, economic conditions and the availability of production inputs at the time producers make their final planting decisions.

Nationally, farmers are intending to plant 89.5 million acres of corn, down 4% from last year. Soybean planted area for 2022 is estimated at a record 91 million acres, up 4% from last year.

All-wheat planted area for 2022 is estimated at 47.4 million acres, up 1% from 2021. If realized, this represents the fifth-lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919. The 2022 winter wheat planted area, at 34.2 million acres, is up 2% from last year but down less than 1% from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 23.7 million acres are hard red winter, 6.89 million acres are soft red winter, and 3.62 million acres are white winter. Area expected to be planted to other spring wheat for 2022 is estimated at 11.2 million acres, down 2% from 2021; of this total, about 10.5 million acres are hard red spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2022 is expected to total 1.92 million acres, up 17% from the previous year.

Average Minnesota crop, milk prices

The average price received by farmers for corn during February in Minnesota was $5.86 per bushel according to the March 31 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Agricultural Prices report. This was 63 cents above the January price and $1.29 above February 2021. The February 2022 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $14.80 per bushel, was $2.10 above the January price and $1.70 above the February 2021 price.

The February average spring wheat price per bushel at $9.31 was 86 cents above January, and $3.61 above February 2021.

All hay prices in Minnesota averaged $179 per ton in February. This was $2 below the January price but $55 above the February 2021 price. The February 2022 alfalfa hay price at $193 was $4 below the previous month, but $58 above February 2021. The average price received for other hay during February was $152 per ton. This was $1 below the January price but $68 above February last year.

The average February price for milk was $24.20 per cwt, 50 cents above the January price and $6.40 above February 2021.

Source: USDA NASS Minnesota Field Office, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all of its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.