After patiently waiting all winter for a warm and sunny break, we’re thrilled to finally have the chance to get back in the field! The 2025 planting season has already begun for several growers in Indiana, and it’s an exciting time ahead for crops, including our favorite plant: corn.
Farmers have begun planting throughout Indiana, from the southernmost areas of the state, to central, and all the way up to northwest Indiana. This has largely been dictated by recent rainfall events and total precipitation amounts throughout the state, with some areas receiving less rainfall than others. The USDA-NASS report for April 21, 2025, showed that for the last week (ending on April 20), an average of 3.7 total days were suitable for field work, which is up from 1.5 days for the previous week.
The USDA-NASS also reported planted corn acres at 2% planted (Figure 1), which is 3 percentage points behind the 5-year average and 1 percentage point behind soybean planting progress. In Indiana, the optimum planting “window” for maximum corn yield potential occurs between April 20 and May 10 of each year. For the southern counties in the state, this “window” may be shifted one week earlier, and for the northern counties in the state, this “window” may be shifted one week later. Overall, when examining the previous year’s planting progress for Indiana from USDA NASS crop reports, planting progress typically begins to increase around the 20th of April, with the majority of planting finishing toward the end of May. Previous research has shown that corn yield potential begins to decrease approximately 0.3% per day once planting is delayed beyond May 1st and approximately 1% per day if corn planting is delayed until the end of May. These decreases in corn yield potential are often contributed to a shortened growing season, elevated pest pressure, and increased potential for high heat and dry conditions during pollination. However, it is important to understand that delayed planting may only impact potential yield and not actual yield in a specific year. Just because corn was planted late, doesn’t mean high yields won’t be achieved.
Figure 1. 2015-2025 Indiana corn planting progress by week (USDA-NASS).
