USDA Out With Winter Wheat, Canola Seeding Numbers

USDA released the first seeding report of 2026, which focused on winter wheat and canola.

USDA said 33 million acres of winter wheat were planted for the 2026 harvest, down less than 1% year over year and off by 2% from 2024’s numbers.  USDA said a record low planted area is expected in California and Nebraska.

Seeding of the 2026 acreage was underway in early-September. Planting reached 97% complete by November 23, with emergence at 87% on that same date.

When it comes to Northwest numbers, 1.7 million acres of winter wheat were planted in Washington, 740,000 acres were planted in Oregon, and 760,000 winter wheat acres were planted in Idaho. 

USDA said Hard Red Winter 23.5 million acres are expected this year, down slightly from 2025.  The largest increase in planted acreage is estimated in Oklahoma, while Montana is estimated to have the largest decrease.

Soft Red Winter (SRW) wheat seeded area totals 6.14 million acres, up less than 1% from 2025. Compared with last year, the largest acreage increase is expected in Ohio, while the largest acreage decrease is expected in Tennessee.

White Winter wheat seeded area totals 3.36 million acres, down 5% from 2025. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington are expecting decreased acreage.

Durum wheat: Seedings in Arizona and California for 2026 harvest are estimated at a combined 75,000 acres, up 15 percent from 2025 but 11 percent below 2024.

The USDA's report contained the first estimate of 2026 canola seedings for Kansas and Oklahoma. Acres seeded in Kansas and Oklahoma for 2026 harvest are estimated at a combined 29,000 acres, an increase of 2,500 acres from 2025.  Numbers from the Pacific Northwest were not part of this report.

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