As expected, more acres will be planted to peanuts with acreage of rotational partners declining or staying nearly the same as 2024.
On March 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service released their annual Prospective Plantings report. The acreage estimates in this report are based primarily on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March with a sample size of approximately 73,700 farm operators selected from a list of producers. Data is collected by mail, internet or telephone to obtain information on crop acreage intentions for the 2025 crop year.
Peanuts
Growers intend to plant 1.95 million acres in 2025, up 8% from 2024. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to increase 9% or more in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina.
In Georgia, the largest peanut-producing state, planted area is expected to be up 12% from last year to 950,000 acres. Virginia and Arkansas are expected to maintain the same acres as 2024. South Carolina’s producers indicate they will plant 110% of this past year, increasing from 82,000 acres to 90,000 acres after a multi-year decline. Texas, hopeful for a break in the drought, intends to plant 250,000 acres, up 104% from 2024.
Cotton
In many areas, cotton is expected to be the least acreage on record. Area planted to all cotton in Georgia and Texas, the largest cotton-producing states, is expected to decline by 9% and 8%, respectively, compared with last year. If realized, all cotton planted area in Louisiana and New Mexico will be the lowest on record. Decreases compared to the past year are expected in all cotton-estimating states except Arizona and Kansas.
Overall, growers intend to plant an estimated 9.87 million acres of all cotton, down 12% from last year. Upland cotton planted area is estimated at 9.71 million acres, down 12% from 2024. American Pima planted area is estimated at 157,000 acres, down 24% from 2024.
Corn
Overall, growers intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2025, an increase of 5% from 2024. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage increases of 400,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Record-high acreage is expected in Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota. Record low acreage is expected in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
Most Southern states are predicted to plant slightly more corn acres than this past year, with Florida dipping to 94%.
Soybeans
Growers intend to plant 83.5 million acres in 2025, down 4% from last year. Compared with last year, planting intentions are down or unchanged in 23 of the 29 estimating states. Decreases of 300,000 acres or more are anticipated in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. If realized, the planted acres in New York and Ohio will be the largest on record.
Wheat
All wheat planted area for 2025 is estimated at 45.4 million acres, down 2% from 2024. If realized, this represents the second-lowest wheat planted area since records began in 1919. The 2025 winter wheat planted area, at 33.3 million acres, is down 2% from the previous estimate and down less than 1% from last year. Of this total, about 23.6 million acres are hard red winter, 6.09 million acres are soft red winter and 3.66 million acres are white winter.
Area expected to be planted to other spring wheat for 2025 is estimated at 10 million acres, down 6% from 2024 estimate. Of this total, about 9.40 million acres are hard red spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2025 is expected to total 2.02 million acres, down 2% from the previous year.
Winter Weather Summary
On the strength of a very warm December and a dry January, the Lower 48 States experienced an overall mild, dry winter. However, spatial details revealed a much more complex scenario, highlighted by persistently warm, dry weather in the Southwest; episodic cold outbreaks in the central and eastern United States, as well as the Northwest; and a lack of winter snowfall in many areas from the northern Plains to the northern Atlantic Coast, including the western Corn Belt. Northern “snow drought” stood in stark contrast to several Southern snowstorms, including epic accumulations along the Gulf Coast.
Following a protracted wait, La Niña finally developed — albeit weakly — in time to influence winter weather patterns across North America. Southwestern warmth and dryness, as well as occasionally sharp cold waves in the central and eastern United States, were consistent with a La Niña-driven regime.
By the end of winter, there were two main areas of drought across the western and central United States: one focused from southern California to western and southern Texas and the other covering portions of the northern Plains and upper Midwest.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought coverage stood at 43.59% on March 11, 2025, virtually unchanged from December. Coverage had briefly dipped below 37% for two weeks in January. However, coverage of extreme-to-exceptional drought increased from 4.65% to 7.47% between December 3 and March 11, reflecting worsening conditions in parts of the Southwest. PG
