The battle for acres between soybeans and corn is well known but other crops are also considered by producers. For the top three cereal grain crops, there are wide ranging pros and cons to each one. 

One of the largest influences on planting choice is net returns but agronomics, including moisture and heating degree days are key dictates. That is why Canada grows proportionally more barley, and the U.S. grows more corn. Collectively, the global winner over time has been corn. Over the past few decades, global barley production has increased by a little over 12 percent, wheat production has expanded by 34 percent, but corn output is up by almost 100 percent.  ...