Only 50% of Michigan corn crop rated good or excellent.

Michigan farmers are seeing signs of recovery after a chilly and cloudy May put early-season stress on crops. While fields are beginning to green up again, the season is running notably behind — and whether crops can catch up depends heavily on what kind of summer the region sees.

“We had a cold snap mid-May that set things back,” said Nicolle Ritchie, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension field crops agronomy educator. “For a couple of weeks, crops were very yellow and stressed. They’re starting to rebound now in color, but staging and height are definitely behind where they’d normally be this time of year.”

According to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report, only 50% of Michigan’s corn crop is rated good or excellent. Michigan corn is rated 1% very poor, 8% poor, 41% fair, 46% good, and 4% excellent for the week that ended June 8, 2025. The report rated the soybean condition at 7% poor, 36% fair, 54% good, and 3% excellent for the week.

Early Planting Advantage, but Not for All

“The things that got planted early actually look pretty good. We had some early warm weather the first and second week of May,” said Ritchie.

But that’s not the case throughout Michigan. Most fields have just had less-than-ideal conditions, and they’re a little too cold right now, she shared.

Nitrogen sidedressing — often underway by now — is largely stalled, with most fields not yet ready for application. In surrounding counties with heavier soils, some planting still isn’t finished.

Southwest Michigan is also home to one of the state’s pockets of potato production, and those growers are welcoming the cool weather.

“Potatoes are doing fantastic,” she said. “They love this cool, hazy, and cloudy weather.”

Compared to 2024? ‘About Two Weeks Behind’

“We’re about two weeks behind, maybe more,” she said. “Last year was a very warm year — much warmer than normal. That influenced some people to pick longer relative maturity. If they’re delayed on planting this year, that could have an impact.”

Some counties with heavier soils are still working to finish planting altogether, another sign of the season’s delays.

Pests and Forecasts

One bit of good news: insect pressure remains low in corn and soybeans.

“It’s always a concern when seeds sit in cold soils — the longer your seed is in the ground, the more at risk it is at being eaten or chewed on, but thankfully, we haven’t had a lot of that,” said Ritchie.

According to MSU extension, potato leafhoppers are beginning to show up in both potatoes and alfalfa, particularly near the Michigan–Indiana border. The pest can cause “hopperburn” damage before symptoms are visible, so Extension is urging growers to scout new alfalfa regrowth promptly.

“We’ve got roughly 80°F weather coming up, and lows aren’t supposed to go below 50°F, so that’s going to be right in the sweet spot for corn,” said Ritchie. “So we should hopefully see some good growth this next week.”

The downside? Conditions may increase the risk of white mold in soybeans and tar spot in corn later in the season.

“We always watch for white mold here because we have pretty high humidity, and we tend to get pretty significant precipitation throughout the season,” she said. “Tar spot is another big one — we had a really bad outbreak in 2018. It took everyone by surprise, and since then, it’s been a concern.