BRAZIL, Ind. – For Kevin Cox, a Brazil, Ind., corn and soybean farmer, and a director on the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, this spring was the earliest he has ever started planting.

“We continued to plant the entire crop in a 10-day window,” he told Farm World. “Then the rains came down, and the floods came up. We had six inches of rain and three frosts right after we finished planting.”

He said the corn and soybeans from the first four days of planting popped right out of the ground due to 80-degree days and warm soil temperatures, but the fields the next two days of planting were pretty slow.

“The corn and soybeans from the last four days of planting still haven’t emerged even after 30 days in the ground,” he said. “Today (June 1), we were able to get in the field and replant some soybeans for the first time.

“There are fields in our area of west-central Indiana that still haven’t been planted,” he added. “Some are being replanted now. Some are too wet to get on. It’s all over the board around here. There’s never a dull day in the spring. We are spraying and side-dressing; planting and replanting. We’ve got it all going on.”

According to the USDA’s June 2 Weekly Crop and Weather Bulletin for the week of May 24-30, stormy weather extended to the Plains and lower Midwest, benefiting rangeland, pastures and summer crops, except in areas where thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds.

“However, rain across the Central and Southern Plains arrived too late to aid drought- and freeze-damaged winter wheat,” the USDA said. “Precipitation bypassed a few areas, including much of the Southwest and the Upper Mississippi Valley, as well as portions of the Great Lakes region.”

The USDA released its first condition ratings for 2026 corn and soybean crops in its June 1 Crop Progress and Condition Report. By May 31, producers had planted 93 percent of the nation’s corn crop, with 76 percent emerging. Sixty-seven percent of the corn was rated in good to excellent condition.

The USDA said 87 percent of the nation’s soybean crop had been planted by May 31. Sixty-five percent of the soybean acreage had emerged, with 66 percent rated in good to excellent condition.

Eighty-seven percent of the nation’s winter wheat crop was headed by May 31, the USDA said. Five percent of the winter wheat acreage had been harvested by week’s end. Twenty-six percent of the winter wheat crop was rated in good to excellent condition, equal to last week but 26 percent below the same time last year. Sixty-six percent of the cotton acreage had been planted. Eighty-nine percent of the nation’s oat acreage had emerged, with 30 percent headed.

In Indiana, 85 percent of corn had been planted, with 70 percent emerging, as of May 31, the USDA said. Eighty-two percent of soybeans were planted, with 65 percent emerging. Eighty-four percent of winter wheat headed, and none had been harvested yet, the USDA added.

In Illinois, 91 percent of corn had been planted, with 80 percent emerging. Eighty-nine percent of soybeans had been planted, with 75 percent emerging. Ninety-two percent of winter wheat had headed, and none had been harvested.

In Michigan, 89 percent of corn had been planted, with 56 percent emerging. Eighty-one percent of soybeans had been planted, with 49 percent emerging. Sixty percent of winter wheat headed, and none had been harvested.

In Ohio, 73 percent of corn had been planted, with 57 percent emerging. Sixty-eight percent of soybeans had been planted, with 52 percent emerging. Ninety-four percent of winter wheat headed, and none had been harvested.

In Kentucky, 99 percent of corn had been planted, with 90 percent emerging. Eighty-two percent of soybeans had been planted, with 67 percent emerging. In Tennessee, 98 percent of corn had been planted, with 94 percent emerging. Eighty-six percent of soybeans had been planted, with 78 percent emerging. Ninety-three percent of cotton has been planted, with 6 percent squaring.

In Iowa, 97 percent of corn had been planted, with 87 percent emerging. Ninety-five percent of soybeans had been planted, with 74 percent emerging. Ninety-eight percent of oats were planted, with 35 percent headed.

In his three-week forecast, Justin Glisan, State Climatologist of Iowa, told Farm World temperature outlooks indicate a lean toward warmer temperatures across much of the Corn Belt, with better chances into the Appalachians.

“Outlooks are not clear from Nebraska, the southwestern half of Iowa into northern Missouri, and southern Illinois,” he said. “Cooler temperatures may be more prevalent from Kansas into southern Missouri.

“On the precipitation side, wetter chances are found from southern Nebraska and Iowa through the eastern Corn Belt and into Appalachia,” he added. “Portions of northern Iowa into the Western Corn Belt show no clear signal.”