Soybean Acres Experience Catastrophic Drop, Lowest Level In Six Decades
LITTLE ROCK (TB&P) — Dwight Eisenhower was president of the United States the last time so few farm acres were dedicated to soybeans in Arkansas.
Fueled by an ongoing trade war with China and battered by never-ending rains, Arkansas farmers are projected to harvest 2.65 million acres this year, down 590,000 acres from 2018, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The June NASS report had Arkansas’ harvested acreage at 2.95 million. Last year, Arkansas farmers harvested 3.24 million acres of soybeans.
It is the lowest number of soybean acres in the Natural State since 1960, NASS reported. Soybeans are the top crop in Arkansas.
“The standout stat in this is soybean acres,” Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said.
“If my eyes don’t deceive me, that would be the lowest soybean harvested acreage since 1960 – which clocked in at 2.44 million acres.”
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