The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed that the United States has recorded its lowest wheat planting on record, providing a much-needed boost to wheat prices after weeks of sustained weakness in the futures market. The findings, released in the USDA's June 30 Acreage Report, have reinforced concerns over tightening domestic wheat supplies despite continued pressure from abundant global inventories.
According to the report, total US wheat planted area for the 2026 crop is estimated at 42.74 million acres, down 2.4% from the March 31 Prospective Plantings report and 6% lower than the 45.33 million acres planted in 2025. The estimate also came in well below market expectations and marks a record-low planted area since official records began in 1919. The USDA projects harvested wheat area at 32.06 million acres, down 14% from the 37.24 million acres harvested a year earlier.
The sharpest decline came from winter wheat, where planted area fell to 31.52 million acres, down 2.7% from the March estimate and nearly 5% lower than last year. Hard red winter wheat and soft red winter wheat both registered significant acreage reductions. Kansas, the nation's leading wheat-producing state, is expected to harvest 5.95 million acres, down 13% from 2025, while Oklahoma's harvested area is projected to decline by 25% year-on-year following a steep reduction in planted acreage.
Spring wheat acreage remained relatively stable at 9.39 million acres, though it was still 6% below the previous year's level. A reduction in North Dakota was largely offset by higher planting in Montana. Durum wheat acreage also declined sharply, falling 16% from 2025 to 1.83 million acres, with North Dakota accounting for the largest decrease.
The historically low acreage figures provided immediate support to the wheat market. Following the USDA report, winter wheat futures gained around 11 cents per bushel, while nearby spring wheat futures jumped more than 30 cents per bushel. Market sentiment was further strengthened by the USDA's announcement of a 100,000-tonne export sale of hard red spring wheat to Nigeria for the 2026-27 marketing year, along with short-covering after recent price declines.
Meanwhile, the USDA surprised traders with its corn acreage estimate. Contrary to expectations that higher biofuel demand and rising fertilizer costs would encourage farmers to shift acreage toward soybeans, the agency estimated 95.34 million acres of corn were planted this year, slightly above both its March projection and analysts' forecasts. Harvested corn area is projected at 87.43 million acres, down 4.2% from 2025.
While record-low US wheat acreage has improved market sentiment and raised expectations of tighter domestic supplies, analysts note that abundant global inventories and competitively priced Black Sea wheat are likely to cap any sustained rally in international wheat prices.