Huge Corn Crop Anticipated In 2012

Kansas farmers expect to plant this spring the third largest corn crop since 1936.

The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that the 4.7 million acres of prospective corn plantings is down 4 percent from the huge crop that was also planted last year.

The agency also reported that expected acreage for soybeans at 3.9 million is down 3 percent but it is still the third largest soybean acreage in Kansas history.

Anticipated sorghum acreage of 2.5 million acres is down 4 percent from a year ago.

Kansas growers seeded 9.5 million acres of winter wheat last fall, up 8 percent from the previous year.

Some 20.6 million acres of Kansas farmland is anticipated to be planted to those four major crops. That is up 1.5 percent from last year.