CHICAGO, March 31 (Reuters) - U.S. farmers are planning to expand corn plantings to 95.326 million acres in 2025, up 5% from 2024, and reduce soybean plantings to 83.495 million acres, down 4% from last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Monday.

The USDA also reported U.S. March 1 corn stocks at 8.151 billion bushels, wheat stocks at 1.237 billion bushels and soybean stocks at 1.901 billion bushels.

Highlights:

* USDA plantings and stocks summary table nL2N3QE0PC

* USDA corn plantings seen rising 5% in 2025 nL2N3QB16P

* U.S. quarterly grain stocks highlights nAQN2K82MS

* Estimates for U.S. quarterly grain stocks nL2N3Q80Z2

* Estimates for U.S. corn, soy, wheat acreage nL3N3Q81I4

* History of estimates for USDA stocks data nL2N3Q9045

* History of estimates for USDA acreage data nL2N3Q8150

COMMENTS:

* ED DUGGAN, SENIOR RISK MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST, TOP THIRD DIVISION AT STONEX GROUP INC:

"No huge surprises in this. It was pretty uneventful. I think that bean acreage could go down, and the corn acreage could creep up. It all comes down to your return on investment right now, and the return on beans is so much less than it is than it is in corn. Also typically, when we have dry springs like we're seeing now, farmers can get in and will plant more corn acres."

* RICH NELSON, CHIEF STRATEGIST, ALLENDALE INC:

"It's surprisingly one of the very first March 31 reports that the trade was on target for. When the trade estimates came out, a lot of the community felt that maybe they were a little low (on corn plantings). That 95 (million-acre corn planting) number had been speculated quite a lot. We'll certainly plant it, especially given our drier conditions, and we'll plant it at a relatively accelerated pace."

* TOMM PFITZENMAIER, ANALYST, SUMMIT COMMODITY BROKERAGE:

"There were a ton of people talking 95-95.5 million on corn acres, and it (USDA's projection) came right in the middle of that. I think we're rapidly going to go back to weather and whatever the heck is going to happen (with tariffs) Wednesday."

* ANGIE SETZER, PARTNER AT CONSUS AG CONSULTING:

"The biggest surprise would be wheat acres, coming in much lower than what the trade was anticipating. The report wasn't too terribly bad for any one commodity."

* TERRY REILLY, SENIOR AGRICULTURAL STRATEGIST, MAREX:

"It (USDA's plantings report) confirms that we lost other spring wheat to corn acres in that far northwestern Corn Belt. Unlike other years, we didn't see any major sticker shocks."

* JIM GERLACH, PRESIDENT OF A/C TRADING:

"Nobody was trading the average trade guess (on corn plantings). The whisper number was about what you got: 95.3 (million acres). People say, 'Why is the corn market up?' Well, you sold it off thinking it could be even bigger."

* CHARLIE SERNATINGER, ANALYST WITH MAREX:

"I'm guessing from market reaction that everyone was already long beans/short corn (futures), and the spring wheat acreage was definitely friendly. (USDA's quarterly) stocks were about as neutral as it gets. Now, on to the tariffs!"

(Reporting by Chicago commodities desk)

((Julie.ingwersen@thomsonreuters.com; 1-313-484-5283; Reuters Messaging: julie.ingwersen.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))