LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD News) — U.S. peanut acreage is down sharply in 2026, and that could help reduce large supplies left from last year’s record crop.
Wendiam Sawadgo, an assistant agricultural professor at Auburn University, says the USDA estimates that producers planted 1.53 million acres of peanuts this year. That is down 22 percent from 2025 and 146,000 acres below the March Prospective Plantings estimate.
Sawadgo notes stronger competing crop prices likely influenced planting decisions. Cotton futures rose during the southern planting season, offering some producers an alternative to peanuts.
Every major peanut-producing state planted the same or fewer acres than last year. Texas posted the largest decline, down 105,000 acres, while Georgia fell 70,000 acres to 720,000.
Lower acreage could reduce 2026 production to about 2.87 million tons, assuming normal harvest rates and yields. That would be down 20 percent from last year and could support prices after a weaker 2025 crop year.
