U.S. Rice Acreage Falls 28% to 2.02 Million Acres, Lowest Since 1972 as Cotton Expands
Updated
Updated · iref.net · Jul 1
U.S. Rice Acreage Falls 28% to 2.02 Million Acres, Lowest Since 1972 as Cotton Expands
2 articles · Updated · iref.net · Jul 1
Summary
USDA pegged 2026 U.S. rice plantings at 2.02 million acres, down 28% from a year earlier and the smallest area in 54 years.
Weaker rice demand, weather-related production problems and better returns in competing crops drove the drop, with farmers shifting land toward cotton.
Upland cotton acreage rose 6% year on year to 9.7 million acres, underscoring the change in planting incentives across major row crops.
Rice supplies have not tightened yet: rough rice stocks stood at 74.8 million Hundredweight on June 1, up 7% from a year earlier.
The divergence between shrinking rice acreage and rising inventories points to continued pressure on the rice market even as U.S. crop patterns adjust.