The USDA expects farmers will plant far fewer soybean acres in 2019 compared to this year. In its first statistical guesses for the NEXT growing season, the agency forecasts U.S. corn plantings of 92 million acres and soybeans at 82.5 million. That’s a nearly 3 million acre increase for corn compared to this year, and a decrease in soybeans of more than 6.5 million. Naomi Blohm, a commodity analyst with the Stewart-Peterson Group, says the market has been anticipating a reduction in soybeans because of the U.S.-China trade war.

Blohm adds any projections for 2019 should be written in pencil at this point.