Weather forecasts, market value and changes in demand are among the many factors that influence the amount of crops producers grow every year in the United States. Over the last few years, some growing trends have become apparent.

Cotton is experiencing the largest decrease in production, with an estimated 19 percent drop from the 2012 crop. For the 2013 year, U.S. growers are planting about 10 million acres of cotton, which is the smallest acreage in four years, according to AgProfessional.com’s article, Four-year low acreage for U.S. cotton .

source: http://www.georgiaag.com

The decrease in cotton production can be related to its decrease in market value, and for the last two years, cotton has been one of the worst performing commodities. Beyond this, demand for cotton is diminishing due to the increased use of synthetic fibers.

Blueberries, on the other hand, have experienced a dramatic increase in the last ten years. In 2001, 263,950 pounds of blueberries were grown in the United States compared to 511,000 pounds in 2011, according to the USDA. The top states for blueberry production are Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Georgia. The United States is the world’s leading blueberry producer with Chile coming in second.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), over the last five years, the number of acres of sunflowers planted has decreased from 2.51 million to 1.68 million acres. Some of the top states for sunflower production include North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Kansas and Colorado.

Tomatoes grown in the United States have decreased in production over the last five years from 319,300 acres to 278,900 acres. The top fresh-market tomato states are California, Florida, Virginia, Georgia and Ohio. The top states for processing tomato production include California, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

Wheat represents one of the top commodities harvested in the United States, with Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas representing the most acres planted; however, the last four years have brought a minor decrease in production. The United States currently produces about ten percent of the world’s wheat.

Both corn and soybeans have experienced a slight increase in acres planted over the last five years.

With the abnormal spring weather many growers are facing this year, many areas may see great changes compared to last year’s planting.