Indiana farmers made significant harvest progress over the past week, pushing corn harvest to 87% complete and soybean harvest to 93%, according to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report released Monday, Nov. 9.
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports Indiana corn harvest advanced 12 percentage points during the week ending Nov. 8, climbing from 75% to 87% complete. That puts the state’s corn harvest five percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 82%.
Indiana soybean harvest also moved closer to the finish line, advancing six percentage points to 93% complete. That is four percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 89%.
Across the Corn Belt, harvest progress remains uneven. Nationally, corn harvest across 18 major producing states reached 81% complete, up seven percentage points from the previous week but still five percentage points behind the five-year average of 86%. Soybean harvest reached 92% complete nationally, compared to 88% the previous week and slightly ahead of the five-year average of 91%.
In neighboring states, Illinois farmers have harvested 93% of their corn and 96% of their soybeans. Michigan corn harvest stands at 61%, five percentage points behind its five-year average, while soybean harvest has reached 86%, four points ahead of average. Ohio corn harvest is 69% complete, compared to its five-year average of 75%, while soybean harvest stands at 92%, two points ahead of average.
While combines continue moving across Indiana fields, attention is also turning to next year’s crop. Indiana winter wheat planting reached 88% complete, up 10 percentage points from the previous week and slightly ahead of the five-year average of 87%. Winter wheat emergence advanced to 60%, however, that remains four percentage points behind the five-year average of 64%.
USDA rates 64% of Indiana’s winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, including 55% rated good and 9% excellent. Another 28% is rated fair, while 8% is rated poor to very poor.
Nationally, winter wheat planting across 18 major producing states reached 89% complete, compared to the five-year average of 90%. Emergence stands at 76%, two percentage points ahead of the five-year average. Nationwide, 49% of the winter wheat crop is rated good to excellent, up five percentage points from the previous week.
Field conditions could become an increasingly important factor as Indiana farmers wrap up fall fieldwork. Hoosier producers averaged 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Nov. 8, down from 6.5 days the previous week.
Soil moisture remains a concern heading into winter. USDA reports 46% of Indiana’s topsoil moisture is short to very short, including 14% rated very short and 32% short. Subsoil moisture is similarly tight, with 47% rated short to very short, including 15% very short and 32% short.
Nationally, 34% of topsoil moisture is rated short to very short, while 39% of subsoil moisture falls into those categories.
With Indiana corn harvest now five points ahead of its historical pace and soybean harvest nearing completion, the focus is shifting from getting this year’s crop out of the field to preparing for the next growing season. But tightening soil moisture supplies across much of Indiana remain an important concern as farmers look ahead to 2027.
