Record U.S. Soybean Plantings
WASHINGTON - Jun 30/10 - SNS --Soybean planted area for 2010 is estimated at a record high 78.9 million acres, up 2% from last year, according to seeded area estimates released by the USDA today.
Planted area increased from last year in 18 out of 31 States, and is the largest U.S. planted acreage on record. Area for harvest is forecast at 78.0 million acres, also up 2% from 2009, and will also be the largest on record, if realized.
Growers in the 11 major soybean-producing States (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota) planted 63.3 million acres, up 3% from 2009. Compared with last year, the largest increases in planted acreage occurred in Iowa and Nebraska, both up 600,000 acres. Increases of 150,000 acres or more were also seen in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio.
The States with the largest declines compared with last year are Arkansas, down 270,000 acres, and North Carolina, down 250,000 acres. Record high planted acreage is estimated in Kansas, Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania, and planted area will tie the previous record high in Minnesota and Oklahoma.
Soybean planting got off to a good start this season as conditions were much improved compared with last year when wet, cool weather during April across most of the major growing areas delayed progress. The month of May began with planting in all States at or ahead of last year's pace and, with the exception of Louisiana, at or ahead of their 5-year average.
The trend generally continued during the first full week of May as conditions were beneficial for planting in most areas with the exception of the Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, and parts of the Southeast where rain in excess of 8 inches fell. During the next week, planting progress was slowed by cool, wet weather from Texas, through the Middle Mississippi Valley, and into the central Great Plains. As of May 16, thirty-eight% of the intended soybean acreage was planted, 15 points ahead of last year and 3 points ahead of the 5-year average.
The following week, wet weather covered the central Great Plains and the southern and eastern Corn Belt, continuing to slow the pace of planting and hampering the emergence of recently planted soybeans. By May 23, planting progress had slipped behind the normal pace by 4 percentage points at 53% complete.
Sunny, mostly dry weather during the last week of May allowed for double-digit increases in planting progress in all estimating States except Mississippi, but progress in Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee still remained more than 10 points behind normal. As of May 30, planting progress was one point behind normal at 74% complete, but was 11 percentage points ahead of last year's pace.
Roughly 46% of the crop had emerged by May 30, two points ahead of normal and 13 points ahead of last year. Emergence advanced to 80% by June 13, one point ahead of the normal pace, and at or ahead of last year's pace in all States except Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota.
Producers planted 93% of the 2010 soybean acreage to herbicide resistant seed varieties, up 2 percentage points from 2009.