Based on modeling conducted by the University of Illinois at Champaign, total U.S. planted acres for 2022 could increase to 326.5 million, up from 319 million acres planted this year, U of I’s Chair of Agricultural Marketing Scott Irwin said last week.

That includes a projected jump in corn plantings from 93.9 million acres this year to 96 million in 2022, despite the cost run-up and supply chain issues of certain inputs. 

Soybean plantings, on the other hand, could actually slip from 87.6 million acres in 2021 to 85.5 next year, according to Irwin.

If an acreage switch to corn is realized, ending corn stocks could jump more than 1 billion...