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Pulse and Potato Plantings Lose Ground in 2026
National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates indicate planted area in 2026 will be lower than a year earlier for each of the four major pulse crops and potatoes. Planted acreage declined by 739,000 acres from 2025, with lentils and dry beans accounting for nearly three-fourths of the reduction. The decline is also geographically concentrated among major producing States. Lower lentil, dry pea, and chickpea acreage in Montana and lower dry bean, dry pea, and lentil acreage in North Dakota account for much of the pulse contraction, while Idaho accounts for about half the reduction in potato acreage. These reductions follow expanded pulse acreage in 2025 and mark the third consecutive annual decline in potato plantings.