Farmers in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, and North Carolina have reached a significant milestone in the 2024 planting season. According to the USDA’s latest Crop Progress report, over three-quarters of the corn crop has been planted in each of these key states.
Missouri
The USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, released on March 28, projected Missouri farmers to plant 3.5 million acres of corn in 2024. As of the week ending May 19, 76% of Missouri’s corn crop has been planted. Due to only 2 days suitable for fieldwork and a surplus of topsoil moisture across 27% of the state, planting progress increased by just 4 percentage points from the previous week, falling short of the 81% five-year average. Last year, Missouri farmers had nearly completed planting with 97% of the corn crop in the ground by this time.
Iowa
Iowa farmers are expected to plant 12.8 million acres of corn this season, according to the USDA. The latest Crop Progress report shows that 78% of Iowa’s corn has been planted, a substantial increase from 57% the previous week. However, this year’s progress lags behind the 86% five-year average and the 92% recorded at this time last year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig noted that while some farmers made progress as fields dried out, showers and thunderstorms have continued to cause delays.
Nebraska
Nebraska farmers are expected to plant 9.85 million acres of corn this season. As of the week ending May 19, 79% of the state’s corn crop is in the ground, a 24 percentage point increase from the previous week. However, this falls short of the 82% five-year average and the 84% planted by this time last year.
Minnesota
Minnesota farmers are expected to plant 7.9 million acres of corn this season. The latest Crop Progress report indicates that 81% of Minnesota’s corn has been planted, a rapid increase that surpasses the five-year average of 74% and last year’s 75%.
Tennessee
Tennessee farmers are expected to plant 930,000 acres of corn this season. Despite another week of windy and wet conditions delaying fieldwork, 83% of Tennessee’s corn crop is now in the ground, up 10 percentage points from the previous week. This is still below the five-year average of 87% and last year’s 92% at this time.
Texas
Texas farmers are expected to plant 2.1 million acres of corn this season. Wet field conditions have delayed field preparation and planting, but as of the latest report, 85% of Texas corn has been planted, a 5 percentage point increase from the previous week. This is slightly behind the five-year average of 90% and last year’s 86%.
North Carolina
North Carolina farmers are expected to plant 890,000 acres of corn this season. As of the week ending May 19, 98% of the state’s corn crop is in the ground, making North Carolina likely the first state to complete corn planting this season. This is 3 percentage points ahead of the five-year average and 2 points above last year’s progress at this time.
