When Is Best Date For Planting Corn?

By: Rod Swoboda

What’s the best date range to plant corn? Can you plant corn before April 11? And what temperature should the soil be when you plant corn? Experts answer these key Midwestern corn planting questions below.

Iowa corn planting dates
Roger Elmore, Iowa State University Extension corn agronomist, has compiled data from a multi-year study on date of planting for corn, based on results from six ISU research farm locations from around the state.

Elmore has used that data to determine the optimum corn planting dates for three regions in Iowa. The data were collected in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

The plots were planted at various dates and yield was calculated for each planting date. Then a date range was determined for the three regions in Iowa as indicated on an Iowa State map that would correlate to achieving 98% of maximum yields.

Planting corn in mid-April proved successful in Iowa study
To achieve 98% of the corn yield potential, the data shows you should plant corn between April 12 and April 30 in northeast Iowa.