Indiana Corn Update - Issue #33

From South to North: Tracking Indiana’s Corn Progress

(Jeferson Pimentel and Daniel Quinn)

 What the numbers show

USDA NASS’s Crop Progress report released August 17, 2026, rates Indiana corn condition at 9% excellent, 52% good, 29% fair, 7% poor, and 3% very poor. Development is tracking close to normal: silking has reached 96% (five-year average: 97%), dough is at 69% (average: 67%, and ahead of last year's 67%), and dented is just getting underway at 19%, 4% ahead compared to the 5-year average. (average: 15%).

On the surface, that's a crop developing right on schedule. But the 26% fair rating, plus 8% poor/very poor, still amounts to roughly a third of the state's corn acreage rated below good, and the story behind that gap has gotten more complicated over the past two weeks.

What this likely means agronomically

At dough-to-dent, corn's root system is fixed for the season; it can't regrow to compensate for new stress. The 29% fair and 7% poor/very poor acreage was already concentrated in two places before this hit: fields still carrying reduced root mass from May's flooding, and fields that just took 3–10+ inches of rain across northern and eastern Indiana over the past weeks.

Waterlogging at dough/dent doesn't kill the plant, but it does two things fast: it cuts off oxygen to roots already weakened from spring, and it slows sugar translocation to the ear right when kernels need it most. The fields hit this week are almost certainly seeing kernel abortion at the ear tip and lighter test weight starting now, not a drop in stand count.

The bigger risk is standability. Waterlogged roots plus the wind is a direct setup for greensnap and root lodging, and corn that went down days ago doesn't stand back up. That's a harvest-loss problem already locked in for those fields, not a future risk.

Let us know if we can help

USDA Corn Production, Released August 12, 2026 (conditions as of August 1)

(Jeferson Pimentel and Daniel Quinn)

 National forecast is down, but still historically strong. Corn for grain production is forecast at 16.0 billion bushels, down 6% from 2025's record, but would still be the second-highest production on record if it holds. Yield is forecast at 180.7 bu/acre, down 5.8 bushels from last year's record 186.5. Harvested area is down 3% from 2025 to 88.6 million acres.

Indiana is bucking the national decline. Indiana is one of six states, alongside Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia, forecast to hit a record-high yield in 2026: 206.0 bu/acre, up from 204.0 last year. Production is essentially flat at 1.06 billion bushels despite slightly fewer harvested acres (5.16 million vs. 5.23 million in 2025).

But national condition ratings are weaker than last year. As of August 2, only 61% of the U.S. corn crop was good-to-excellent, down 12 points from the same week in 2025. USDA credits the central and eastern Corn Belt (Indiana's region) with being more resilient to the July heat that hit the northern Plains and upper Midwest hardest.

Development is running ahead of schedule nationally: 90% silking (+3 pts vs. 5-yr avg), 43% dough (+5 pts vs. avg), 6% dented (+1 pt vs. avg) as of August 2.

Bottom line: The national story is "down from a record but still strong, with condition ratings lagging 2025." Indiana is the outlier in the good direction; it's forecast for a record yield even as the state's own condition ratings show real fair/poor acreage. That combination (weaker condition ratings, record yield forecast) isn't necessarily a contradiction; USDA's yield forecast is built from objective plot counts, not the subjective condition scale, so it can outrun the condition headline if ear counts and kernel set are strong on the acreage that matters most. 

Corn Anthers: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

(Daniel Quinn - Extension Corn Specialist) 

Throughout July in Indiana, tassels begin to emerge above the corn canopy, signaling the start of pollination. Although pollination lasts only about one to two weeks, it is one of the most critical stages of corn development because it determines kernel set and largely establishes the crop's yield potential. Corn is also highly vulnerable during this period, often experiencing its greatest yield loss per day when exposed to stresses such as drought or hail. Corn is a monoecious species, meaning each plant produces both male (tassel) and female (silks) flowers. Therefore, successful pollination depends on pollen being released from the tassel and reaching receptive silks at the right time. Any stress that disrupts the synchronization between pollen shed and silk emergence can reduce kernel set and ultimately decrease grain yield.

One of the most recognizable structures during corn pollination is the anther or the small, dangling structures that hang from the tassel during pollen shed (Figure 1). Although they may look insignificant, anthers play a critical role in successful pollination because they produce and release the pollen required for fertilization and kernel development. Once fully emerged and mature, anthers release pollen through pores located at their tips. Research has shown that a single corn tassel typically produces approximately 6,000 to 7,000 anthers, with each anther releasing roughly 4,000 to 7,000 pollen grains. As a result, an individual corn plant can produce between 2 and more than 30 million pollen grains. The central branches of the tassel generally produce the greatest amount of pollen, while the lower branches contribute less. This seemingly excessive pollen production is characteristic of wind-pollinated crops such as corn, where only a small fraction of pollen grains successfully land on receptive silks. After anthers have completed pollen shed, they dry, detach from the tassel, and are commonly found scattered across corn leaves, on the soil surface, or on your hat and shirt when you walk a pollinating corn field.

Once an anther emerges, it typically releases most of its pollen within approximately three minutes. Although an individual tassel generally completes pollen shed over about seven days, the majority of pollen is released during the first two to three days after anther emergence. Weather conditions can also influence the timing of pollen shed. When anthers become wet from rainfall or heavy dew, they temporarily stop releasing pollen until they dry. As a result, on humid mornings with heavy dew, pollen shed is often delayed until the foliage and tassels have dried. Under favorable conditions, pollen shed is typically greatest during the morning hours, generally between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. Releasing pollen earlier in the day helps maximize pollen viability by avoiding the higher temperatures and lower humidity commonly experienced during the afternoon. The next time you walk through a corn field during pollination, take a moment to look closely at the anthers hanging from the tassel. These small structures may be easy to overlook, but they play a critical role in successful pollination, kernel set, and ultimately the yield potential of every corn plant.

 Figure 1. Visual presence of fully extended anthers on the tassel of a pollinating corn plant. West Lafayette, IN 2026.

Additional References:
Goss, J.A. (1968). Development, physiology, and biochemistry of corn and wheat pollen. The botanical review. 34:333-359. doi: 10.1007/BF02985391
Van Hout, R., M. Chamecki, G. Brush, J. Katz, and M.B. Parlange. (2008). The influence of local meteorological conditions on the circadian rhythm of corn pollen emission. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 148:2088-1092.
Nielsen, R.L. (2018). Tassel emergence and pollen shed. Corny News Network. Purdue Univ. Ext. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/newsletters/pestandcrop/article/tassel-emergence-pollen-shed/

Can Roots Reveal to Us How to Farm? An Interview and Overview of the Root Reveal Project with Jim Schwartz

(By: Evan Cohagan featuring Jim Schwartz (Beck’s Superior Hybrid, Director of Research))

 As a current trend in management practices in corn, planting population has risen over the past 20 years at around 400 plants per acre per year. This has led to the common recommendation of planting around 28,000 to 35,000 plants per acre. This common practice has been driven by yield increases but has begun to plateau in recent years. Many questions have arisen as to why there is a yield plateau and if not a plateau almost a reduction in yield by increasing plant populations past the standard range. Could this be revealed to researchers, agronomists, and farmers by the morphology of the corn plant? Is there a secret being hidden from us underground? The roots of a corn plant could hold these secrets and understanding these out sight out of mind structures of the plant is critical to help push the needle for yield.

To help further understand this problem, Beck’s Superior Hybrids is driving a project called Root Reveal where they are partnering with three universities (University of Illinois, Purdue University, and University of Nebraska) to understand what the roots of a corn plant can tell us about what different management practices we can use and tailor our management to specific hybrids. I was blessed with the opportunity to interview the Director of Research at Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Jim Schwartz. Below is a summary of our conversation about the future of understanding roots and whether or not they can reveal to us on how to farm.

Brief History of the Root Reveal Project

After many conversations with Dr. Scott Foxhoven and Craig Moore there was the thought that roots differ between hybrids, and that this difference could lead to differences in management practices that could lead to yield advantages and better management of corn hybrids. At this time, Beck’s began to classify roots into three main classifications based on root angle, horizontal, vertical, and something in the middle called balanced. Based on Dr. Foxhoven’s research for his dissertation, he noted that there was differences in how hybrids responded to fertility placement. This was the beginning of the Root Reveal project of how can understanding corn roots benefit the farmer and producer. Since, Beck’s has begun collaborating with numerous universities to dive further into how roots can dictate the direction of management on the farm.

What are the Primary Findings so far?

The two main takeaways from the Root Reveal project relate back to population management and fertility placement. Thus far, it has been noted that hybrids with vertically oriented roots tend to excel in lower nitrogen environments and respond better with population increases and banded fertility. On the other hand, hybrids with more horizontal roots tend to respond better in environments that have broadcast fertility. This means that depending on a farm’s management practices hybrid selection could help push farm yields ever higher, and if not higher to a more economical return point. This is supported by the 400-bushel plots at the Beck’s Center in Atalanta, IN. In these plots vertically oriented hybrids that were exposed to drip irrigation and banded fertility performed 17+ bushels better than the average of hybrids exposed to similar treatments. On the contrary, horizontal rooted hybrids performed 14+ bushels better than the average when the treatment changed to overhead lateral irrigation with a broadcast fertility program. This shows that depending on the roots of hybrids they will perform differently under the same management practice. This means you might consider a horizontally rooted hybrid for broadcast fertility acres and a vertically rooted hybrids for band applied fertility acres.

What does this mean for hybrid placement and the future of corn production?

This means exactly what it sounds like. If seed companies can understand the hybrids in their portfolio they will be able to match hybrids with farmers better and allow for the farmer to not necessarily change the management practices to fit the hybrid. This will also allow for the adaptation of hybrids to different practices to see how they perform. This is illustrated in the hybrid 6622 excelling (400+ bushels/acre) at a population of 36,000 – 42,000 plants/acre even though it was not recommended to be planted at populations greater than 28,000 plants/acre. This hybrid is a horizontally rooted hybrid, so the thought that increasing population would impact the yield is the main driving factor. However, when planted on 10-inch spaced rows the hybrid is able to express itself differently than on 30-inch rows meaning that the plant in spaced differently from its neighbors compared to being packed in a 30-inch row. This means that understanding the dynamics of root growth, and how the roots interact in the soil are going to play an ever-bigger role in the future of corn production.

What does the future look like for root and plant interactions?

During my conversation with Jim, I asked around some questions that at this time is unable to be answered because of the lack of data and understanding of the interactions. As he alluded to that could be the direction of moving toward to begin further understanding the impacts of plant and root relationships. One of the questions I asked was, how does specific plant to plant spacing impact the potential for hybrid growth and yield potential based on the root architecture? Is there a sweet spot for each type of root architecture on plant spacing, and if so how would that drive grower management practices like row spacing? Currently there is not enough data to fully answer that question and to confidently make solid statements. Research will continue to be done to push the needle on yield by understanding the part of the plant that is out of sight and out of mind for so many people. We understand that roots are critical for yield and healthy plants, but how much do we truly understand about roots? Based on my interview with Jim Schwartz, I think the name of the project of Root Reveal because I believe that the roots of a corn plant will continue to reveal to us how to farm and farm at a much better efficiency.

For more information on the Root Reveal Project:
https://www.beckshybrids.com/research/root-reveal-research

Soaking Rains to End the Summer, And Then Some

(Jacob Dolinger, Indiana State Climate Office)

After a drier-than-normal July, recent rains have put Indiana on notice for above-normal precipitation. Just two weeks into August, there was enough precipitation to cover the month’s typical August rainfall, and then some. Much of the state received over 400 percent of normal precipitation for the first two weeks of the month, and some locations east of Indianapolis received over 600 percent of normal August rainfall. Only in far southern and southwestern Indiana was precipitation near or below normal as of August 15.

Figure 1: Percent of normal, accumulated precipitation for Indiana for August 1-15. Blues and purples indicate precipitation that is well above normal.

The heaviest impacts were felt across central and northern Indiana. Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, Lafayette, Kokomo, Richmond, Columbus, Anderson, and Muncie were among the locations affected by heavy rainfall. Indianapolis normally receives 3.2 inches during August but had already recorded 5.32 inches by August 19, making it the city’s wettest August in 10 years with 13 days remaining.

Henry County was an especially notable rainfall hot spot. Several locations received more than 11 inches in less than two days. A report near New Lisbon measured 11.50 inches, while two stations near New Castle measured 11.24 and 11.23 inches. New Castle 3 SW received 7.74 inches on August 12, breaking its previous single-day record of 4.15 inches set in 1992. By August 17, the station had received 15.35 inches for the month, making August 2026 its wettest month of any month since records began in 1950. Muncie also recorded 5.99 inches on August 12, its second-highest single-day total since 1946.

Repeated rounds of rain from August 11-17 produced widespread flash flooding and pushed several rivers into major flood stage. The White River at Anderson and Noblesville surpassed record crests set in 1913, while the river at Nora reached its highest level since that historic flood. Evacuations and water rescues occurred across central Indiana, including more than 350 evacuations in Delaware County.

In Henry County, a culvert beneath Riley Road washed out, taking part of the road with it. State Road 3 became impassable in places, with waist-high water reported in New Castle. Flooding also damaged I-70 in Wayne County and destroyed a bridge on Hazel Dell Parkway in Carmel. By August 18, 19 counties had issued local emergency declarations.

Flooded and muddy fields also created problems for agriculture. Prolonged ponding can stress crops, increase erosion and nutrient loss, and raise concerns about diseases such as stalk rot in corn. Although the water has begun receding in many areas, repairs, cleanup, and agricultural impacts will continue well beyond the rainfall event.

Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciate the feedback and contributions of all growers, county agents, consultants, and corn industry stakeholders.

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