USDA Reports 18% of U.S. Corn Harvested by September 28
With harvests well underway across the Corn Belt, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey provided an update on the pace of this year’s U.S. corn harvest as of September 28th, 2025. The national harvest is slightly behind schedule, with regional disparities based on weather and crop maturity.
“The corn harvest number for the week ending September 28th, 18% of U.S. corn harvested on that date, one point behind the five-year average, two percentage points behind last year’s 20%, and we do see a bit of a convergence where it’s a little quicker in the drought-affected southeastern part of the Corn Belt compared to some delays in the western Corn Belt.”
The Southeast, affected by earlier drought stress, is progressing slightly faster, while the Western Corn Belt is experiencing some harvest delays. Among all states, only North Dakota reported no harvest progress by the end of September.
“The only state not reporting any harvest progress at all by September 28th is North Dakota, and the five-year average there is not particularly high, but it is 5%, so getting off to a little bit of a late start in North Dakota due to that late maturation.”
State-by-state differences are notable. In Nebraska, harvest is running behind:
“As we move southward into Nebraska, 11% harvested there, 17% is the five-year average…”
In contrast, Missouri leads the Midwest with rapid progress:
“…but as you move to the east and to the southern and eastern Corn Belt, we find that Missouri leads the Midwest, 40% harvested, that’s ahead of the five-year average of 34%…”
And Illinois, a major corn-producing state, is also ahead:
“…and Illinois, 21% harvested, also ahead of the five-year average of 18%.”
As we move into October, farmers and market watchers will continue to track harvest pace and weather conditions, especially in states still lagging. Stay tuned for further USDA crop progress updates as the season advances.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.