Minnesota farmers plan to plant more soybeans than corn

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota farmers are joining with other farmers across the country in planting more soybeans than corn this spring.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Minnesota farmers intend to plant 7.9 million acres of soybeans this year, compared with 7.5 million acres of corn.

That would be Minnesota’s lowest corn acreage since 2006, and a 7 percent decrease from last year. The projection for soybean acres represents a 3 percent decline from 2017, when Minnesota farmers also planted more soybeans than corn.

Soybeans have been more profitable than corn lately.

Minnesota sugarbeet producers intend to plant nearly 423,000 acres, up slightly from 2017.

The USDA also projects a 38 percent jump for Minnesota spring wheat to 1.6 million acres and a 35 percent increase in oat acres to 230,000.