Less Corn Is Being Planted

American farmers planted 1.7 million fewer acres of corn in 2015 than they did the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Acreage report released Tuesday.

Total corn planting in the United States total 88.9 million acres, for the lowest planted acreage since 2010. Notably, it still represents the sixth-largest U.S. corn acreage planted since 1944.

National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling said,

While planted acreage has decreased as farmers in many parts of the country face unrelentingly wet conditions, U.S. farmers have steadily increased our ability to grow more corn on every acre. Americans can rest assured that we will be able to meet all needs, be they for food, fuel or fiber, for years to come.

The most recent USDA estimate shows the average national yield is 166.8 bushels per acre.

For South Dakota, the Agriculture Department says in its annual acreage report that spring wheat, winter wheat and durum wheat acres all are up this year, while soybean acres are down 1 percent and corn acres are down 10 percent.