Farmfutures

Every year, U.S. farmers plant millions of acres of crops, raising foodstuffs that feed the nation and the world. Farm Progress editors caught up with several farmers, agronomists and Extension experts to check in on planting progress.

Here’s what the 2026 crop looks like as of June 15:

Iowa

The storm systems that moved across Iowa last week brought wind, heavy rainfall and hail. Rebecca Vittetoe, Meaghan Anderson and Logan McCrea, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists, offered the resources below to help assess crop damage following these storms.

Here is their assessment of Iowa fields:

“Some cornfields have been left-leaning or have been root-lodged, depending on soil moisture, after these storm systems moved through. These fields should stand back up within a few days. Most corn is between V4 and V10 stages, so yield losses from leaning corn should be minimal.

“Past research shows leaning or lodging in V10 to V12 corn may reduce yields by 2% to 6%. Corn at these growth stages should upright itself within several days. In addition to leaning corn, there have been some reports of greensnap or brittle snap in corn. These plants are a total loss.”

Many areas also experienced flooding, along with hail damage. For more information, read the experts’ assessments here.

Additional flooding-related resources include:

Here is more information on what to do if hail struck your fields:

-reported by Gil Gullickson

Illinois

Matt Montgomery, agronomy education lead at Beck’s, serves as the primary agronomist in the Decatur, Ill., area.

The average planting date in his territory was the first part of May. A large portion of the corn is about V6 stage, and earlier-planted corn is quickly approaching V10. Both corn and soybeans have darkened up, thanks to root development.

Montgomery said storms in his territory brought wind and 2-7 inches of rain, depending on the area, on June 10-11.

The biggest issue he’s run into this year is a tough start for soybeans, with herbicides affecting the crop from the cold spell.

“It was just hard for the soybean crop to metabolize some of those chemistries that we used preemerge,” he explained.

Looking ahead, Montgomery will discuss fungicide applications with farmers. Although hard to tell right now, for seven out of 10 years, the most prevalent foliar disease in Illinois tends to be gray leaf spot, according to Montgomery.

He’s seeing more wheat than usual. The crop was about two weeks ahead of schedule this spring, and west-central Illinois harvest could begin in the next week to week and a half.

-reported by Ava Splear

Indiana

The itch for rain rippled across northern Indiana following several weeks with no significant rainfall. Then the skies opened at the beginning of June, and massive storm systems blanketed the Hoosier state.

For farmers in the northern part of the state, this was a welcome sight — until it wasn’t. Some areas up north received upward of 4 inches of rain within 24 hours. The storms also wreaked havoc on growers farther south, who had been plagued by heavy rainfall in May.

“The southern parts of the state were hit the hardest by flooding and saturated soils, with localized areas in the central part of the state this week,” shared Dan Quinn, Purdue University Extension corn specialist.

The effects of water-logged soils started showing up across those flooded regions.

“There’s quite a bit of uneven and yellowing corn due to the lack of soil oxygen and poor root growth,” Quinn added.

Temperatures are on the rise throughout the middle of June, pushing along the rapid vegetative growth stages. And these rains were needed in the north to support those growth needs.

“There are also areas that look very good with recent rainfall and warmer temperatures this week,” Quinn said.

-reported by Allison Lynch

Ohio

Ohio’s crops are showing mixed progress in early June. Row crops are generally on track, with the USDA June 8 report estimating 70% of corn planted and 75% emerged.

For soybeans, it’s 85% planted and 69% emerged. In both corn and soybeans, 85% is considered fair to good condition.

Corn and soybeans are fully planted statewide, with sidedressing of early corn underway in many areas.

Cornfields have seen significant brown rot due to prolonged wet conditions, with fungicide applications recommended, according to Luke Schulte, an agronomist with Beck’s.

“Soybeans in southern Ohio have struggled with frost damage and extended wet conditions, affecting nodulation and plant color,” he said. “Wheat crops are variable, with frost damage expected to impact yields, especially in the southern third of the state.”

Harvest is expected to begin in far southern Ohio in 10-14 days, with northern Ohio fields still two to three weeks away.

Spring freezes have hurt row crops, and some have opted for replanting in the more southern counties. Those freezes hit fruit production hard. Orchards across eastern Ohio had early blooms in March but were killed with hard freezes in March and April that reached as low as 11 degrees F in some areas. Record losses are expected.

-reported by Jennifer Kiel

Michigan

A warmup in early spring was followed by very wet and cold conditions until mid-May. The first and second week of June provided plenty of heat. A welcomed all-day rain on June 5 for most of the state pushed emergence for later-planted corn and soybeans. It was followed by additional rains on June 9 and 10.

According to USDA’s June 8 report, 89% of the state’s corn is in fair to good condition, while 95% of soybeans are in those categories. Many growers are beginning to sidedress corn.

Early-planted soybeans are at V3-4, and nodules are easily visible on roots. Now is the time to check for good nodulation, advised Nicolle Ritchie, Michigan State University Extension.

Wheat is ranging from Feekes 10 in the northernmost region to Feekes 11.2 (soft dough) in the southern portions of the state.

-reported by Jennifer Kiel

New York

“We’ve been way behind on growing degree days in May,” said Dan Steward, managing consultant with the Western New York Crop Management Association. “So, it was absolutely very cool to start.”

In several western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania counties, the planting of corn didn’t start until May 4, while soybeans were planted about May 10, and that was just on the best ground. Then, from Memorial Day through last week, farmers finally caught a break, with much drier weather settling in.

“And guys have been able to move quickly, get a lot done and get first cutting harvested,” Steward said. “I would say we’re probably like 75% planted on the corn and soybeans.”

Since most soils in western New York are not conducive to growing alfalfa, many farmers intensively manage grass for haylage. First cutting of orchard grass usually starts the first week of May, but the cool, wet spring pushed some farmers back a week or more.

“I’m hoping we’ll have some pretty quality stuff to feed the cows,” Steward noted. “And yields have been pretty good where guys were able to get out and get nitrogen on the grass.”