Which U.S. soybean counties are most exposed to drought right now?
The U.S. Drought Exposure Monitor tracks roughly 85 million planted soybean acres against federal crop-insurance coverage and the U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly severity map. The soybean view is a county-by-county picture of where soybean ground sits under active drought without a federal insurance backstop — refreshed every Thursday.
Where U.S. soybeans are grown
Soybeans are the second-largest U.S. row crop by planted area, behind corn. Roughly 85 million acres go in the ground each year, concentrated in the same Corn Belt geography as corn, with one important extension: soybeans push further south into the Mississippi Delta. Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the southern Missouri Bootheel all run material soybean acreage that corn does not match. Illinois and Iowa lead the country in planted soybeans, followed by Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Kansas, and Arkansas.
Soybean drought timing is also different from corn. The critical stress window is August — pod fill and seed development — rather than corn's July pollination. A late-summer drought that arrives after corn has finished pollinating can still hit soybeans hard. The Monitor scores the two crops separately for this reason, even when they're rotated on the same ground.
How drought exposure works for soybeans
Like corn, soybeans are heavily covered by federal crop insurance. In the major soybean states — Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska — participation runs at or near corn levels, typically around 85% of planted acres. At the national headline level, soybeans do not have a coverage-rate problem.
The math still bites at scale. A modest gap on an 85-million-acre planted base leaves several million uninsured soybean acres nationally. The Monitor highlights where those uninsured soybean acres are clustered and which of those clusters are in active drought this week.
The exposure score uses the same three inputs the rest of the tool does: planted acres from USDA NASS, insured acres from USDA RMA's Summary of Business, and current drought severity from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Soybeans appear on their own tab in the live tool.
Data sources for soybean drought exposure
Every input that drives the soybean exposure score is public, free, and refreshed on a known cadence:
| Source | What it provides | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| USDA NASS | Planted soybean acres by county, with three-tier waterfall for current-year coverage | Annual + intra-year revisions |
| USDA RMA Summary of Business | Federally insured soybean acres by county and coverage type | Monthly mid-year + crop-year close |
| U.S. Drought Monitor | Current drought severity (D0–D4) by county | Weekly, Thursdays |
| NOAA CPC Seasonal Drought Outlook | 90-day forward outlook — development, persistence, improvement, removal | Monthly |
Frequently asked questions
Which U.S. states grow the most soybeans?
Illinois and Iowa lead the country in planted soybean acreage, followed by Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Kansas, and Arkansas. The Corn Belt and the Mississippi Delta together account for the bulk of national soybean production, with the Delta states pushing the crop further south than corn typically reaches.
What is the typical federal crop insurance coverage rate for soybeans?
Coverage rates for soybeans are among the highest of any U.S. row crop, on par with corn. In major Corn Belt and Delta states, federal crop-insurance participation regularly runs around 85% of planted acres. Coverage thins in states where soybeans are a smaller secondary crop, and in counties where producers prefer alternative private products or self-insure against weather risk.
Why does soybean drought exposure differ from corn drought exposure?
The geography overlaps heavily but isn't identical — soybeans extend further south through the Mississippi Delta, where corn acreage is thinner. Timing differs too. Corn's critical drought-stress window is July pollination; soybean's is August pod fill. A drought that arrives in late summer after corn has finished pollinating can still hit the soybean crop hard.
Where are U.S. soybeans most at risk from drought this week?
It changes weekly. The Monitor reorders its soybean watch list every Thursday after the U.S. Drought Monitor publishes. Historically the western edges of the Corn Belt and the Mississippi Delta are the regions most prone to summer drought concentration. The current week's view is on the live tool.