WAWG
On March 31, 2026, the National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2026 Prospective Plantings report. Washington growers report planting 1,850,000 acres of winter wheat, unchanged from 2025. Spring wheat is projected to be 450,000 acres down 5% from 2025, which was at 475,000 acres. Barley acres are up just slightly from 2025 at 70,000.
All wheat planted area for 2026 is estimated at 43.8 million acres, down 3% from 2025. If realized, this represents the lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919.
Winter wheat: The 2026 winter wheat planted area is estimated at 32.4 million acres, down 2% from the previous estimate and down 2% from last year. Of the total planted acreage, approximately 23.1 million acres are hard red winter, 5.79 million acres are soft red winter, and 3.54 million acres are white winter. If realized, California, Nebraska, and Virginia will have record low planted areas.
Other spring wheat: Growers intend to plant 9.42 million acres of other spring wheat, down 6% from 2025. If realized, this represents the lowest other spring wheat planted area since 1970. Of this total, about 8.78 million acres are hard red spring wheat. Planted area in North Dakota, the largest spring wheat-producing state, is estimated at 4.70 million acres, down 8% from last year.
Barley: Producers intend to seed 2.35 million acres of barley for the 2026 crop year, up 2% from the previous year. In Montana, the largest barley state, acreage is expected to increase by 3% from last year. Record low acreage is expected in Utah.