Farmers cling to corn as prices slump
By Reuters
Amid falling crop prices and persistently high input costs, many U.S. farmers are expected to keep corn acreage large in 2026 because it offers a better chance of approaching break-even economics compared with soybeans, even after a record corn harvest in 2025 slashed prices and created surplus stocks.
“Right now, you absolutely cannot make money on beans,” said Tim Gregerson, who farms in eastern Nebraska. “You can probably break even on corn, but you are going to have to have an extraordinary yield, or a price increase,” Gregerson said.
Despite projections that corn plantings may fall slightly from last year’s high, strong domestic demand — especially from ethanol producers and export buyers — is helping support modest prices near break-even levels, while farmers trim other costs and hedge their bets on demand that remains more reliable for corn than for soybeans.
