Plant 2026 is officially underway. Some farmers have already begun planting corn, while others are waiting until later dates to hedge against cold or frost. This is very much a risk/reward scenario, where we typically see higher yields from early planting, though this corn is more vulnerable to a late freeze or frost. No year is ever a good year for replanting; with current markets, inflated input costs, narrow profit margins, and very limited seed supply, avoiding a replant situation in 2026 should be everyone’s top priority when deciding when to plant.
Looking ahead, the 10-day forecast shows some low temperatures near freezing next week. As of today, 3/12, we have forecasted low temperatures (32-30F) on Monday (3/16) and Tuesday (3/17) nights. With these temperatures, any seed planted within the 24 to 36 hours up to the cool temps could have the possibility of experiencing chilling injury when imbibition of water takes place. The soil temperature at planting depth will highly influence the fate of any seed germinating. Again, if soil temperatures do get cold enough (< 40 F) to cause injury, symptoms will likely result in swollen kernels that do not germinate or no radicle root or coleoptile growth after germination of the seed occurs.
If injury occurs after germination symptoms may include stunting, root death, and poor stands across the field.
For corn that was planted and has already emerged, injury can range from minor leaf injury to complete plant death, depending on how cold it gets. Fortunately for corn, the growing point remains below the soil surface until approximately V5 (~12 inches tall). With that being said, corn can withstand some frost early in its development and be okay. Unless we have a killing frost and temperatures get to approximately 28 F or lower for a few hours, corn that has already emerged and is up should be okay.
From past experience, things really start to get bad if we get to 28F and/or below for several hours. I hope that we will avoid that next week.
A few years ago, I did a trial during some cold weather we had during planting. Below is a summary of what we saw. The take-home message is that it all depends on how cold the seed gets in the soil, which in turn depends on the ambient temperature and the duration of the cold.
