Some Mississippi farmers got a rare head start on corn planting this year.
According to the Mississippi State University Extension Service, some growers began planting as early as the last week of February – nearly a month ahead of the state’s typical mid-March start and “likely a record for the state.”
Much of the early activity was reported in counties in the southern part of the Delta, where warm, dry conditions have certainly helped out. Erick Larson, corn specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said he has never seen so much corn planted so early in his three decades on the job.
“This year, we began planting nearly a month earlier than normal,” Larson said. “I’ve been the corn specialist for 30 years, and I’ve never seen this much planting progress this early. Consultants and farmers who have been around considerably longer say the same thing.”
Larson said early planted corn can produce better yields because it matures before the hottest parts of the summer. But there’s also a risk with an early start: sporadic cold weather.
Mississippi saw freezing temperatures in some areas earlier this week, which could pose a risk to young crops, though it’s unclear how much damage, if any, occurred.
“Freezing temperatures will kill exposed corn vegetation,” he explained. “Corn injury primarily depends upon how low temperatures get. Corn can normally tolerate leaf desiccation above ground because its growing point is below the soil surface.”
Other extension agents reported that farmers in Sharkey and Issaquena counties, for example, tried to get a jump with the warm weather seen before the most recent bout of cold temperatures and are measuring corn at about 1.5 inches tall. In some areas, more than 10% of corn acreage had already been planted by the first week of March.
“They really tried to hit their window early in Sharkey and Issaquena,” extension agent Lea Turner said. “As soon as it’s clear that the freezes are over and spring is here, if it’s dry enough, farmers try to get in the field. The early birds (typically) try to hit it by the second week of March.”
Now that much of the state begins to heat up again, drying out any recent precipitation, the rest of the Mississippi’s corn farmers are expected to plant out their acreage.
Corn is the first row crop planted in Mississippi each year and consistently ranks in the state’s top 10 commodities, according to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. While the 2025 corn crop of 910,000 acres was the second-largest since approximately 1960, this year’s crop – even with the head start – is expected to be down from that number.
“Corn planting is expected to subside as slim margins and high expenses suggest soybean acreage will rebound this year in Mississippi,” Larson said. “However, weather during the spring will likely influence planted acreage.”