Will Iowa Corn Be Knee High By The 4th Of July? It Could Be A Record

The question we ask every summer.

Lately, many corn farmers in Iowa are doing the planting, and they say it's been going really well. According to the USDA's latest Crop Progress Report (which came out on Monday), 11% of Iowa's corn crop was already in the ground as of Sunday.

So yay for the farmers for being on top of it!

But the eternal Midwestern question remains: will the corn be knee-high by the 4th of July?

The answer to that could be more like head-high by the 4th of July. The forecast from Iowa State (that came out in November 2024, mind you) predicts that this corn harvest could set a record in Iowa.

Before you start buying all the butter and seasonings for endless corn-on-the-cob, there's concern about drought at the moment. Not to mention, it's been really really windy. Currently, during planting time, 80% of Iowa is dealing with dry weather and 30% is considered in a drought.

And, as we've told you, the Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be a rather toasty summer for us ('sultry' was the word they used for Iowa, whatever that means in relation to weather).

Read More: Buckle Up: Iowa And Illinois Are In For A Rough Summer In 2025

We'll see how things turn out after we all fry this summer. Right now, experts are thinking Iowa will set a record high for corn production this year with 15.585 million bushels, which is up 5% from last year. It doesn't sound like we'll be short on corn at all this fall.