Profitability is the primary reason farmers indicate they intend to plant 89 million acres in soybeans and 88 million acres in corn.

Corn costs much more to plant because of required demands for pest and disease control and fertilizer. When the profitability of both crops is close, farmers bet on soybeans for a better return, said Chad Hart, an agriculture economist at Iowa State University.

“We’re hearing a lot more folks talk about when they’ve looked over the past couple of years beans have performed better than corn in terms of farm returns,” Hart said. “When they’re feeling a little pinched they do tend to look to control their cost side and that’s where beans have an advantage over corn.”

Soybeans cost about 60 to 70 percent as much as corn to plant, he said.

The report is an estimate based on farmer surveys and could change depending on weather and commodity prices at planting time.

The only year that soybean acres beat corn in recent memory was 1983 but it was due to government manipulation as the USDA pushed farmers to plant fewer acres in an effort to boost prices in the midst of the nation’s worst farm crisis.

Hart estimates at prices prior to the report Iowa farmers could turn a profit of between $8 and $15 an acre for both crops which explains why the acreage intentions between the two are very close.

Narrow profitability explains why total acreage planted for all major U.S. crops will fall by about 1 million acres this year. Much of the land will likely be removed from production and used for pasture or remain unplanted, Hart said.

Corn acres nationally will be 2 percent lower, about 2 million acres, and soybean acres will be down 1 percent, about 1 million acres. Some of the previous corn and soybean land will be planted in wheat, which is growing by 3 percent in acreage planted and cotton, which will be up 7 percent this year or about 858,000 acres.

Ray Gaesser, who grows corn and soybeans on 6,000 acres in southwest Iowa near Corning said planting intentions often change and acres devoted to corn and soybeans could rise from the estimates.

“We’ll probably see those total acres go up at planting time but probably not as large as folks were thinking a month ago because the market is telling us to do something different,” said Gaesser, who also is chairman of the American Soybean Association.

Farmers in Iowa, the top corn producing state, expect to plant 13.3 million acres, the same as last year. Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota all plan on fewer corn acres. Ohio is the only state expecting an increase, the USDA said.

Illinois, the top soybean producer, will plant 10.6 million acres, the same as last year. North Dakota also will plant the same as last year. Decreases of 100,000 acres or more are anticipated in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Prices for benchmark December corn rose 13 cents after the report’s release to $4.10 a bushel and the benchmark November soybean futures price surged 30 cents to $10.46 a bushel.

Lawmakers took the rare step Thursday of overriding the Education Committee’s decision to hold the bill. The 27-13 vote gives the measure a chance to pass in the session’s final days.

Across the country, 15 other states have enacted similar legislation, according to a report from Civics Education Initiative.

Sen. Lydia Brasch of Bancroft said she introduced the measure to promote patriotism and ensure that students know about American history and government.

The bill would require schools to give students the 100-question naturalization test that immigrants must pass to gain citizenship. The test would not be required for graduation, but schools would report scores to the state. Elm Creek High School in Elm Creek has already incorporated the test into the curriculum, she said.

It also would update a seldom-used statute that calls for school boards to have an Americanism Committee that meets regularly to analyze and reevaluate methods of teaching social studies courses.

Across the country, 15 other states have enacted similar legislation, according to a report from Civics Education Initiative.

Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings pointed to late-night TV shows that make fun of Americans who can’t answer basic questions about government. He said the country’s lack of knowledge is embarrassing.

“There’s nothing funny about graduated students or adults not having a fundamental understanding or knowledge about our government and how it’s been created and how it’s supposed to function,” he said.

Brasch said her priority bill was unfairly held back by the Education Committee and has significant support in the full Legislature. Twenty-four senators signed onto Brasch’s measure.

Unlike most Republican-dominated committees in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, the Education Committee is composed of four Democrats, three Republicans and one Libertarian.

Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln said the effort to pull the bill undermines the Legislature’s committees and should only be done in an emergency. She urged senators to “consider the process as well as substance.”

Opponents of the measure said it will shift the focus from engaged learning to test-taking. Others pointed out that it would give schools a mandate without funding.

Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue called the bill an “overreach of government” and said students today are engaging in civics more than ever with the increase of protests and activism.

“I really have great concern when I hear people start shouting about Americanism and talking about how we need to teach our children about free speech and the rights of the first amendment,” she said. “What do you think they’re doing? They’re getting involved and they’re angry with us.”