Crop Conditions Favorable In Many Areas Of The Midwest

If you poll corn and soybean producers across the Corn Belt regarding the condition of the 2026 crop, you will probably get some pretty positive responses in most areas of the Upper Midwest. Many portions of the region have been getting adequate rainfall, which together with above normal heat units, has resulted in very favorable growing conditions. As is usual in late June and early July, some locations have received excess amounts of precipitation, while other areas are on the dry side hoping for more rainfall in the coming weeks. There is some concern with intensifying drought conditions in portions of the western Corn Belt, especially with the extreme heat expected in early July.
The old saying “rain makes grain” may hold true in many instances; however, excessive precipitation amounts again this year early in the growing season has caused crop loss in some areas of the Midwest. Portions of the eastern Corn Belt, as well as some locations in the Upper Midwest, have been impacted by severe storms and excessive rainfall amounts during June. This has caused drown-out areas in some fields, as well as crop damage to the remaining crop in the region. In addition, severe storms have caused considerable hail damage to crops in some locations across the Midwest, as well as tornadoes and strong winds that have damaged crops, grain bins, and farm buildings.
The heavy rainfall events and severe storms in the Upper Midwest in 2026 have been far more localized in nature, compared to the large major rainfall events in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa in previous years that caused major flooding and crop loss. As of June 24, the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca had received 4.95 inches of rainfall during the month of June, plus an additional .85 inches on June 28, which will increase the total June precipitation to just above the 5.32 inches of average precipitation for the month of June. By comparison, the research center at Waseca received 7.72 inches of rainfall during June in 2025, and 12.45 inches of June precipitation in 2024. For the year, total precipitation at the Waseca site is just over 14 inches, or about 4 inches below normal.
As of June 29, the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center at Lamberton had received a total of 3.60 inches of rainfall during the month of June; however, 1.26 inches of that amount was received on June 28. Since May 1, the Lamberton location has received 5.23 inches of precipitation, which is about 2.3 inches below normal for that two-month period. The moderate rainfall amounts in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in 2026 have been more favorable for crop growth and development in 2026, as compared to the excessive rainfall events that occurred in both 2025 and 2024.
For generations, the standard measure for corn growth was “knee-high by July 4th”, which meant that the corn plant should be able to produce a crop for that year. Of course, most farmers from two or three generations ago were using far different corn hybrids, with much lower yield goals for their corn, than are farmers in 2026. In today’s corn production, “waist-high” or higher corn by July 4th is a more typical, which has resulted in some very good corn yields in most areas of the Upper Midwest in recent years. It would difficult to get exceptional corn yields in the region in 2026, if corn is only “knee-high” or smaller on July 4th.
In much of the Upper Midwest, the 2026 growing season started out earlier than normal, with most corn planted in the last half of April and early May. Most corn in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa that was planted by early-May and will likely be “waist-high” to “shoulder high” by July 4th. Some of the corn planted in April in areas with favorable growing conditions will likely be near the tasseling and pollination stage by July 4th, which does not occur frequently in States like Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. In locations that have been experiencing excessive rainfall or severe drought, the corn development may lag a bit further behind other areas.; however, much of that corn still has very good yield potential in 2026.
Cooler weather in mid-to-late June slowed crop development a bit in some areas; however, this followed a period of very warm temperatures in late May and early June that resulted in rapid crop growth. Crop growth and development is ahead of normal in most portions of the Upper Midwest. As of June 24, the accumulated growing degree units (GDU’s) at the Waseca Research Center since May 1 totaled 824 GDU’s, which is nearly 10 percent above of normal for the year, and is very similar to the GDU accumulation in late June a year ago. At the Lamberton Research Center, the 2026 GDU accumulation was also running slightly ahead of normal for late June. In areas that have adequate soil moisture, and have avoided the heavy rainfall events and crop loss in June, the warmer temperatures during the early growing season have resulted in favorable growing conditions for corn and soybeans in most areas of the Upper Midwest.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor that was released on June 25 showed that approximately 70 percent of the U.S. was experiencing some level of drought, with over 52 percent of the country in the “moderate” drought category or worse, and over 33 percent in the “severe” drought category. Nearly the entire States of Nebraska and South Dakota, along with western Kansas and North Dakota, are in some level of drought, with “exceptional” drought conditions in a large portion of western Nebraska and southwest South Dakota. There has also been a growing area of more severe drought conditions in the primary crop production areas of northeast Nebraska, northwest Iowa, southeast South Dakota, and southwest Minnesota. There was some relief through portions of that region with some needed rainfall on June 28. The balance of the Corn Belt only has a few abnormally dry areas, which has resulted in the highly favorable growing conditions in most of the Midwest.
The weekly USDA Crop Condition Report on June 22 listed 68 percent of the U.S. corn crop as “good to excellent”, which is the just slightly lower than the 70 percent favorable rating at this point in 2025. Only 6 percent of the U.S. corn crop was rated “poor” or “very poor” on June 22. The crop rating has remained fairly steady in recent weeks; however, there is some concern due to developing dryness in portions of the Western Corn Belt and the Central Plains States. The “good-to-excellent” corn ratings in the Upper Midwest were quite high with Wisconsin at 81 percent, Minnesota at 79 percent, and Iowa at 77 percent. The higher corn ratings were more variable in the eastern Corn Belt, with Illinois at a 60 percent “good-to excellent” rating, Indiana and Michigan at 71 percent, and Ohio at 57 percent. The “good-to-excellent ratings in the western Corn Belt included Kansas at 74 percent, South Dakota at 67 percent, North Dakota at 64 percent, and Nebraska at 57 percent.
The June 22 Crop Report listed 66 percent of the U.S. soybean crop as “good to excellent”, which is the same rating as a year ago in late June. Similar to corn, only 6 percent of the U.S. soybean crop was rated “poor” or “very poor” on June 22. The higher “good-to-excellent” soybean ratings in the Corn Belt included Wisconsin at 79 percent, Minnesota at 76 percent, Iowa at 74 percent, and Indiana at 71 percent. More moderate “good-to-excellent” soybean ratings existed in Kansas at 65 percent, both North and South Dakota at 63 percent, and Michigan at 61 percent. The lowest “good-to-excellent” soybean ratings were in Nebraska at 59 percent, Illinois at 58 percent, and Ohio at 55 percent.
Crop Acreage Reporting Deadline
Farmers are reminded that July 15 is the deadline to report 2026 planted crop acreage to their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, including any prevented planted crop acres this year. Reporting the annual crop acreage has become extremely important in recent years. Some of the supplemental farm program payments and disaster payments have been based on the reported crop acreage for previous years. In addition, the current crop base acreage update for the PLC and ARC-CO farm program choices in future years is being based on the reported crop acreage from 2019 to 2023. If there are questions regarding the crop acreage reporting process, farmers should contact their local FSA office.
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst Phone - (507) 381-7960; E-mail [email protected]