MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota, Wisconsin and three other states will grow soybeans on a record high number of acres in 2015, according to a national report issued Tuesday. The estimates provide the first look at 2015’s major crops based on farmer surveys and independent observations of what has been planted.

Corn remains king in Minnesota and has been planted on 8.2 million acres, the same as in 2014, according to the estimates by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Soybeans are a close second in 2015 and are being grown on 7.7 million Minnesota acres, 350,000 acres more than last year and the most in state history. The previous record was 7.5 million acres of soybeans planted in 2003.

Noah Hultgren — who grows corn, sugar beets and other crops on his farm — said it’s no surprise that some farmers have shifted slightly to soybeans.

“In real good (crop price) years, soybeans don’t make you as much money, but in the poorer price years you don’t lose as much either,” said Hultgren, who also is vice president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.

Dave Pazdernik, director of research at Minnesota Soybean, agreed that the main reason more farmers are growing soybeans this year is because the crop seems more likely to provide profits.

Other reasons, he said, are that soybeans tend to grow better than corn in marginal areas.