By Bonnie Coblentz
Ideal weather made it possible for many Mississippi farmers to plant corn as early as the end of February, likely a record for the state.
“This year, we began planting nearly a month earlier than normal,” said Erick Larson, corn specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “I’ve been the corn specialist for 30 years, and I’ve never seen this much planting progress this early. Consultants and farmers who have been around considerably longer say the same thing.”
Corn is the first row crop planted in the state each year. Planting typically begins in mid- to late-March in Mississippi and is complete by early May. This year, the first corn was planted the last week of February. Most of this super-early corn was planted in south Delta counties.
“Many growers in the south Delta already planted a substantial portion of their intended corn acres,” Larson said.
The 2025 corn crop at 910,000 acres was the second largest since about 1960. This year’s crop is expected to be down from that number.
Source : msstate.edu