Local Farmers Race to Catch Up to Planting Average
Published: Friday, May 15, 2026
Corn planting in Indiana advanced to the halfway mark last week, even as many area farmers were still playing the waiting game.
With 51% of the state's corn in the ground as of Sunday, Indiana's planting progress is well ahead of normal. However, the pace in northern Indiana appears to be far behind the rest of the state.
"Once you get around Kokomo and south, they've definitely gotten a better start," said Brad Morehouse, an Elkhart County seed dealer and farmer. "There are a few guys south of Indianapolis that are done. Now we're dealing with some cold mornings and frost in low-lying areas. Crops that are up are being damaged, if not killed off entirely."
The crop damage is due to temperatures dipping into the low to mid-30s in northern Indiana. Frost advisories were in effect for several days in the past week. The low in South Bend last Thursday was 33 degrees, while the thermometer this Tuesday morning sunk to 36 degrees.
For farmers who have managed to get seed in the ground, the concern is timely emergence. With temperatures in the 30s, the soil isn't warm enough to cause germination.
Brad Paulus, a seed dealer and farmer in the Wakarusa area, said planting progress was at a mere 10% when interviewed last Friday. Last year at this time, he estimated that corn planting was 80% finished.
"We can't catch a string of consecutive dry days," he said, adding that farmers need at least four dry days before they can get their planting equipment in the fields.
"We haven't had any of those windows. It seems like the most we can get is a day and a half to two days."
Although Michigan's corn planting progress was just 17%, farmers in the southwestern portion of the state were well ahead of that percentage. According to Cade Klein, a member of the Michigan Corn Growers Assn. from Marcellus, farmers were able to get in the fields early this week. He estimated that corn planting in southwestern Michigan was roughly 40% complete as of Tuesday morning. Soybean planting was at 80%, he said.
"We had a pretty good stretch over the weekend," he said. "Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, guys hit it hard."
At his farm near Marcellus, Klein has already finished planting soybeans and expects to start planting corn this week.
Prior to last weekend, farmers and their tractors were on the sidelines due to cold, wet soils. Some growers went ahead and planted in marginal conditions. Now, they are waiting to see if the seeds emerge from the ground.
"It's so hard to decide what is ideal anymore," Klein said. "Guys have gotten bigger planters, and they can get a lot planted in a hurry."
Rain was forecasted for Tuesday evening and into Wednesday of this week, threatening to halt fieldwork across Michiana.
According to the National Weather Service's six to 10-day outlook, farmers can expect more rain and above average temperatures for both Indiana and Michigan through May 21.
Not sure when the weather will cooperate, Paulus said farmers are eternal optimists.
"God has always given us a planting season," he said. "We'll get another one again. It may not be when we want it, but I guarantee we will get one."
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