Arkansas cotton, rice, soybean acreages recede after a rainy spring
June 30, 2025
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Most Arkansas row crops saw decline in acreage from March forecast
- Peanuts, corn see mild acreage increases
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(Newsrooms: With graphic)
LITTLE ROCK — Total acreage for three of Arkansas’ principal row crops — cotton, rice and soybeans — dropped from growers’ March forecasts, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report published Monday.
The June 30 Acreage Report typically bookends the planting season, following USDA’s annual Prospective Plantings Report, published March 31. Data for both reports is drawn from grower surveys, reflecting both pre-season hopes and mid-season realities.
Overall, acreage for Arkansas’ principal row crops fell 289,000 acres between the two reports, from an estimated 5.8 million acres to 5.5 million acres.
Scott Stiles, extension agricultural economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the reduced acreage for some row crops came as little surprise to industry experts.
“There were notable planting delays this year in April, which would certainly impact cotton and rice most,” Stiles said. “We'll see above-average Prevented Planting claims for these crops.”
In early April, massive storm systems brought tornadoes, hail and large rainfall events to much of Arkansas; the subsequent flooding caused an estimated $78.9 million in crop damage to the state.
Rice
In June, Arkansas rice growers projected planting about 1.46 million acres of rice, flirting with the high end of what’s considered possible on available soils. In June, that estimate fell by 14 percent to about 1.26 million acres.
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said the numbers met with his expectations, although he expects the final acreage to shrink further by the end of summer.
“This has the feel of the 2019 season, where we will once again see a dramatic drop in the final rice acre numbers,” he said, indicating that a 1.1-million-acre total seemed likely. In August, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency will issue certified acreage reports, typically considered the “final word” in annual crop production.
Nationally, rice acreage fell from a planned 2.68 million acres in March to 2.64 million planted acres, according to USDA.
Soybeans
Arkansas soybean acreage fell 3 percent from March forecasts, from 3 million planned acres to 2.9 million acres planted.
Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said growers had telegraphed the likelihood of a mild drop-off throughout the planting season, caught between late-planting soybeans in June and accepting a lower yield and simply claiming prevented planting for the crop insurance.
“Many are trying to get every cent out of every acre to make it through this year,” Ross said. “This is the fourth year out of the last 10 years where our planted soybean acreage is below the 3-million-acre mark.”
Ross said that the fall soybean harvest will likely be a protracted affair, given how spread out the planting process was.
“Hopefully, July and August will have normal temperatures, and the rainfall doesn’t completely shut off,” he said.
Nationally, soybean acreage fell slightly from March estimates, from more than 83.3 million acres planned to 82.5 million acres planted.
Cotton
Arkansas planted cotton acreage fell just 3 percent from March predictions, from 580,000
acres to 560,000 acres planted, according to Monday’s report.
Zachary Treadway, extension cotton and peanut agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said he had expected a steeper decline in acreage, given both the weather-related planting delays and the saturated soils through the spring.
“I think if that number is accurate, it is a credit to our producers and the hours they put in to get the crop in when they could,” Treadway said. He said that, like Hardke, he was interested in what the final acreage may turn out to be in August. “I would not be surprised to see it come down a little.”
Peanuts
Peanuts, which have enjoyed a gradually growing toehold in Arkansas, apparently saw a 2 percent growth in acreage over the spring, approaching 46,000 acres planted. Treadway expressed some skepticism at the number.
“That number makes me wonder if the projection number was low,” he said. “In talking to several of our peanut producers, they had planned on increasing their acres from last year. I think the projection number should have been a little higher, because I find it hard to believe we beat projections in a spring like this.”
Corn
Arkansas corn saw the largest positive movement from planned to planted acreage over
the spring, likely due to its utility as a “replacement” crop when initial plantings
in other crops are lost. In March, Arkansas growers planned to plant 710,000 acres
of corn; in June, they reported having planted 740,000 acres, a 4 percent increase.
Stiles said that, given planting delays and spikes in fertilizer prices, the initial “intended planting” number may have been low.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Ryan McGeeney
rmcgeeney@uada.edu
501-671-2120