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Corn was the leading crop in the United States. Corn for grain production in 2018 was estimated at 14.4 billion bushels. The average yield in the U.S. was measured at 176.4 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 81.7 million acres.
The map below shows percent of land devoted to each crop, by U.S. county
Bill Rankin
Most grain sorghum is produced in the central and southern Plains States, where it is well adapted to heat and tolerant to limited moisture conditions. Sorghum grain production in 2018 was estimated at 365 million bushels. The planted area for 2018 was estimated at 5.69 million acres.
U.S. rice production is mainly defined to 3 areas: the coastal prairie region of the southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas; eastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, and northwestern Mississippi; and the central valleys of California (especially the Sacramento Valley). Rice production in 2018 totaled 224 million cwt. The planted area for 2018 was estimated at 2.95 million acres.
Soybeans are produced primarily for beans which are processed into oil and meal. The main soybean-producing area is in the Corn Belt and the lower Mississippi Valley. Soybean production in 2018 totaled a record 4.54 billion bushels. Harvested area of 88.1 million acres.
Cotton is produced in the southern U.S., mostly south of the 36th parallel, with concentrations in the Texas high plains, the irrigated valleys of Arizona and California, and the Mississippi Delta. All cotton production is estimated at 18.4 million 480-pound bales. Harvested area of 10.5 million acres.
Alfalfa is common in all regions but the Southeast, where the humid climate and sandy soils do not favor production. In most areas, the crop is harvested 2 or 3 times a year. In those U.S. States which estimate Alfalfa hay, Other hay includes all crops harvested for hay except alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures. Other hay includes alfalfa in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Crops grown for hay include clover-timothy mixtures, bermudagrass, wild grasses (prairie hay), and small grains among others.
The spring wheat harvest, including both durum and other spring wheat, accounted for 35 percent of all wheat produced in the U.S. Spring wheat is planted in the late spring and harvested late in the summer. Annual rainfall in the northern Great Plains and the Northwestern States is almost limited but well distributed during the summer, thus favoring spring wheat production.
Winter wheat, widely grown throughout the U.S., is heavily concentrated in the central and southern Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest. Winter wheat is planted in the fall, goes into dormancy during the winter, and is harvested for grain the following spring. When weather conditions are favorable for early fall growth, much of the winter wheat in the southern Great Plains is grazed in the fall before going into dormancy and again in the late winter and early spring when new growth starts.
