YEAREND: 2025 Arkansas corn acreage up ‘dramatically’ despite historic April floods
“Replanting crops, delayed planting, high input prices for fertilizer and low grain prices made it a challenging year for Arkansas corn and all crop producers.” — Jason Kelley
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Dec. 22, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Historic rains in April caused damaging floods
- Delayed planting, high input prices, low grain prices made for challenging year
- Approximately 790,000 acres of corn harvested in 2025, up from 500,000 acres in 2024
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LITTLE ROCK — Despite severe flood damage in April of 2025 that caused producers to replant or delay planting, Arkansas corn acreage increased significantly compared to 2024.
Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said 2025 was a difficult year for corn and other crops.
Corn acreage increased in 2025 compared to 2024, said extension specialist Jason Kelley. (UADA file photo)
Kelley said Arkansas corn acreage increased dramatically compared to 2024. This year, producers planted 810,000 acres of corn and harvested 790,000 acres, with an average yield of 179 bushels per acre. In 2024, 500,000 acres of corn were harvested for an average yield of 186 bushels per acre.
“The average yield is down from 2024 but it was still a respectable crop,” Kelley said. “Acres were down in 2024 due to low grain prices and planting was delayed due to rains. This year, we rebounded despite the flooding.
“Overall corn profit potential at the start of 2025 planting looked more favorable for corn compared to soybean or cotton, which is another reason why acres were up this year,” he said. “The 810,000 acres planted in Arkansas is the fourth highest since 1951.”
Between July and August 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported a drop in corn prices from $4.29 a bushel to $3.96. Corn prices peaked in May at $4.64 a bushel.
Kelley said this overall price drop can be attributed to “a high number of acres planted in the United States and an overall low amount of exports.”
Though farmers in northeastern Arkansas appeared to have the highest corn yields in 2024, Kelley said high yields were seen statewide this year, with particular success in the southern third of the state.
“The southern third portion of the state avoided the brunt of the exceptionally high rain totals in early April,” Kelley said. “Corn got planted early and tended to have high yields overall.”
Winter wheat
Final numbers for the fall 2025 planted winter wheat acres won’t be available until January, but Kelley said he doesn’t expect to see more acres than last year. In the fall of 2024, only 110,000 acres of the crop were planted in Arkansas.
“In fact, we will likely see less acres planted for 2025, due to the lack of profit potential for wheat, which can be attributed to low grain prices,” Kelley said. “This year’s crop had an overall low grain quality. Rainfall during harvest lowered test weight, which turns into a discount for wheat producers.”
Kelley estimated a harvest of approximately 80,000 acres of winter wheat for 2025, with an average yield of 57 bushels per acre.
“Arkansas soft red winter wheat is generally not used for breads because it has a low gluten level,” Kelley said. “It is typically used for crackers, cakes and pastries.”
Sorghum
Kelley said 2025 saw limited sorghum acres planted in Arkansas due to its “overall lower price than corn and limited places to sell the grain.”
The National Agricultural Statistics Service no longer tracks acres of sorghum in Arkansas. Kelley said that according to the Farm Service Agency, the state had approximately 8,000 acres of sorghum planted in 2025. He estimates an average statewide yield of 80 bushels per acre.
Arkansas sorghum is typically planted from April to May and harvested in late August or early September.
“With timely rains in June and July, the yields on the limited sorghum fields were very good this year,” Kelley said.
Kelly said both sorghum and wheat have “limited marketing options” in the state, with few buyers available and lower profit potential compared to other crops, which is reducing the number of acres of each crop.
“Sorghum is largely used as a rotation crop, especially on non-irrigated acres where pigweeds have been a real issue in soybeans,” Kelley said. “Grain sorghum is also a good rotation crop to help reduce populations of root-knot nematodes, which will help the following soybean or cotton crop.”
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: Rebekah Hall • rkhall@uada.edu • @RKHall_ • 501-671-2061