Farmers planted 19 percent more corn this year than in 2006, outpacing already high expectations for the crop, the Associated Press reported.

Fueled by high demand and high prices for corn, farmers planted an estimated 92.9 million acres of corn, according to a federal report issued this morning. That was higher than earlier government estimates and was 15 percent more than in 2005.

In March, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report predicted corn growers would plant 90.5 million acres, a historic number that would have represented the most corn since the 1940s.

Many farmers switched to planting corn at the expense of soybeans. According to this morning’s report, the soybeans planted area is estimated at 64.1 million acres, down 15 percent from 2006. The overall area for harvest, 63.3 million acres, is also down 15 percent from 2006. That’s the lowest planted and harvested area for soybeans since 1995.

Numbers for wheat planting were up 11 percent, estimated at 45.1 million acres. An estimated 60.5 million acres of cotton was planted, up 6 percent from 2006.