Early corn crop headed to apparent good harvest
STARKVILLE, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – Sources from an MSU press release say that Mississippi’s corn crop is looking good this year, and harvest began in July for what was one of the earliest planted corn crops in state history.
Erick Larson, corn specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said most of the crop will be mature by the end of the month. This is weeks earlier than usual.
“Most of our corn crop was planted in the last 10 days of March,” Larson said. “Early planting and warmer-than-normal spring temperatures promoted earlier maturity.”
Mississippi growers are estimated to have planted about 780,000 acres, down from a record 910,000 acres in 2025. Recent corn acreage has fluctuated widely, with 580,000 acres in 2022, 790,000 acres in 2023 and 490,000 acres in 2024.
Pest and disease issues have been minimal. Larson said there has been an unusual amount of heat stress that has resulted from anaerobic soils, which limit plant and root function.
“The most prevalent corn issues have resulted from excessive rain beginning around Memorial Day and extending through the month of June,” Larson said. “Anaerobic soil, cloudy skies and high night temperatures limited the ability to produce energy, resulting in more kernel abortion in the tips of ears than normal.”
This kernel abortion in the tips of corn ears, often called tip-back or tip dieback, is a condition where kernels at the very end of the cob cease developing and shrivel up. Kernels at the tip of the ear form last and receive fewer nutrients when the plant is stressed.
Tom Allen, Extension plant pathologist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said fungus can invade areas where tip dieback has occurred.
“Not all of the fungi that invade the exposed tip are detrimental, but in some cases, some of the organisms that produce toxins such as Aspergillus can invade those aborted areas,” Allen said. “Some years, this can occur when it rains in parts of the state or fields that have had significant tip dieback.”
Allen urged growers who notice significant levels of tip dieback to seek assistance in determining which fungi may inhabit the ears if any fungal growth is observed on the exposed ear tips.
“Be mindful that rainfall close to harvest can trigger fungal growth on exposed ear tips,” Allen said.
With growth complete, ideal weather for corn is high temperatures without rain, which allows corn ears in the field to dry down before harvest.
Josh Tilley, Extension agent in Noxubee County, said the crop in east Mississippi is headed to an early harvest the first week of August, if weather permits.
“We have had really decent rainfall throughout the summer in most areas of Noxubee and Lowndes counties,” Tilley said. “The corn crops look really good for the most part. Once harvest starts, it should not take long if the weather cooperates because the majority of the fields were planted in a short time frame.”
The biggest challenge farmers in his areas anticipate facing in the next month is the possibility that both corn and soybean fields will be ready to harvest at the same time.
“That could make harvest time a little tricky, but we will just have to see when the time comes,” Tilley said.
Tim Fondren, Extension agent in Leflore County, said the corn crop in his area looks good.
“High moisture harvest began the middle of July, and traditional moist corn harvest will begin in two to three weeks,” Fondren said. “Harvest in Leflore County should take six to seven weeks total.”
Much of the corn planted the first week of March in Leflore County had to be replanted, and that created a challenge.
“Farmers were trying to fertilize and spray their corn crop when all the corn was being planted and replanted in the same short period of time,” he said. “They will face a similar challenge as they need to harvest soybeans and corn at the same time.”
Will Maples, Extension agricultural economist, said overall, corn producers are seeing a bit better market than last year.
“December corn futures prices peaked above $5 per bushel in mid-May,” Maples said. “Through June, we saw prices drop back toward $4.40 due to favorable growing conditions in the Corn Belt, but prices have rallied back toward $4.70 per bushel as hot, dry weather has entered that region.”
He said the market is trying to gauge how large this crop may be, which is the main driver for price.
“Nationally, we saw a reduction in acres to 95.3 million this year, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently projecting production at 16 billion bushels,” he said.
Maples said USDA’s August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates will be the first to incorporate actual field surveys into its yield forecast, making the report especially important for corn marketing decisions.
