Where Is the Best Corn in the Country Right Now?

In its latest Crop Progress report, the USDA rated 81% of the corn crop in Wisconsin good/excellent. Of the remaining top 18 corn-growing states, six states have more than 70% of the corn crop rated good/excellent.

Nationwide, 66% of the corn crop was rated good/excellent. Take a look at the top seven states that are leading the ratings.

Wisconsin

With 81% of its crop rated good/excellent, Wisconsin has the best corn in the country. USDA rated 24% of Wisconsin’s corn excellent. Another 57% was rated good, 14% was rated fair, 4% was rated poor and only 1% was rated very poor.

Only 49% of Wisconsin’s corn had reached maturity by September 28, with 4% harvested.  

Corn harvest for grain is just beginning in Wisconsin, but early yields appear strong, shared Nick Groth, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection.

“Early reported yields are in the 225-250 bushels per acre, which growers are generally happy with,” said Groth. “As more fields are harvested this week we will have a better idea of where yields are at, but it appears as of now that they will be at least slightly above average.”

Nebraska

In Nebraska, 77% of the corn crop was rated good/excellent by USDA. 19% was rated fair, and 4% was rated poor/very poor.

Harvested corn in Nebraska reached 11% as of the latest report. The five-year average for the state is 17%.

Missouri

Tied with Nebraska is Missouri with 77% of the corn crop was rated good/excellent. 18% was rated fair, and 5% was rated poor/very poor.

40% of the crop has been harvested, which is 6 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

South Dakota

South Dakota’s corn condition is next on the list with 75% rated good/excellent. The state’s corn crop had 17% rated fair and 8% rated very poor/poor.

As of the most recent report, 5% of South Dakota’s corn crop had been harvested, which is 6 percentage points behind the five-year average.

Minnesota

The good/excellent corn in Minnesota was rated at 73%. There was 20% of the crop rated fair and 7% rated very poor/poor.

Similar to South Dakota, only 5% of the corn had been reported as harvested. The five-year average is 9%.

North Carolina

North Carolina has 72% good/excellent corn. The state has 20% corn rated fair and 8% rated very poor/poor. 

Harvest is ahead of other states on the list with 82% having been completed in North Carolina. The five-year average is 77%.

Iowa

Last on this list, 71% of Iowa’s corn was rated good/excellent by USDA. The state had 23% rated fair while 6% of the crop was rated poor/very poor.

As of the latest USDA report, 15% of the crop had been harvested, which is ahead of the five-year average of 11%.

“Corn harvest got a bit of a start in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota with some early hybrids coming off before farms switched over to cutting beans,” said Jared Goplen, Wyffels agronomy manager. “Yields have been variable so far ranging from 170-290 bushels per acre depending on management and weather.”