Mississippi's Early-Planted Corn Crop Heads for Good Harvest

Mississippi's corn crop is off to a good start, with harvest beginning in July for what was one of the earliest planted corn crops in state history. According to Erick Larson, corn specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, most of the crop will be mature by the end of August.

This year's corn crop was planted in the last 10 days of March, thanks to warmer-than-normal spring temperatures that promoted earlier maturity. Pest and disease issues have been minimal, but there has been an unusual amount of heat stress resulting from anaerobic soils.

Mississippi growers estimated to have planted about 780,000 acres of corn this year, down from a record 910,000 acres in 2025. December corn futures prices peaked above $5 per bushel in mid-May but dropped back toward $4.40 due to favorable growing conditions in the Corn Belt.

Will Maples, Extension agricultural economist, said the market is trying to gauge how large this crop may be, which is the main driver for price. The USDA's August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates will be especially important for corn marketing decisions as it incorporates actual field surveys into its yield forecast.