Minnesota Farmers Intend To Plant More Soybeans

ST. PAUL (AP) — A government report says Minnesota farmers plan to plant more soybeans in 2014 but the same amount of corn as last year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that Minnesota farmers plan to plant 8.6 million acres of corn, unchanged from 2013. If farmers stick to those plans, it would be Minnesota's second-largest corn acreage planted, just 150,000 acres less than the record of 8.75 million in 2012.

Minnesota farmers also intend to plant 7.4 million acres of soybeans, up 10 percent from last year. If those plans hold firm, it would be the state's second-largest soybean acreage planted, just 100,000 below the record of 7.5 million in 2003.

Nationally, cropland devoted to corn is expected to shrink 4 percent as farmers devote 6 percent more acres to soybeans.