Mississippi is on track to break its soybean yield record of 57 bushels per acre set in 2023, thanks to widespread early planting in March and April combined with timely rainfall throughout the growing season.
- Mississippi soybean yields are expected to exceed the previous state record of 57 bushels per acre set in 2023
- Approximately 2.3 million acres of soybeans were planted statewide this year
- 66% of the state's soybeans are in good or excellent condition as of mid-August, with 31% rated as fair
- Early planting in late March and early April gave the crop a significant advantage over typical May and June planting dates
- Eastern Mississippi soybean fields are performing exceptionally well and are expected to drive record-breaking yields
Mississippi State University Extension soybean specialist Justin Calhoun expects yields to surpass the previous state record of 57 bushels per acre, set in 2023. He shared the update during the annual Row Crop Field Day at the MSU R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center on Aug. 17.
Growers planted roughly 2.3 million acres of soybeans statewide this year. As of Aug. 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 66% of the state's soybeans are in good or excellent condition, with another 31% rated as fair.
Widespread early planting gave this year's crop a significant advantage, Calhoun said. Timely rainfall further improved the outlook for exceptional yields.
"The Delta soybean crops look average. What's really going to make up the ground, I think, is the beans on the eastern side of the state," he said. "Most of that ground that has normally been planted in May, maybe even June, got planted in late March or early April."
Corn is also performing well, with harvest underway across the state. MSU Extension corn specialist Erick Larson expects one of Mississippi's best corn crops on record, with yields exceeding 200 bushels per acre.
"This is the first year in my career that we planted the entire crop during the month of March," Larson said.
Despite a mid-March freeze that damaged some early-planted corn and excessive rainfall during late May and early June, abundant moisture and favorable conditions are producing strong yields.
Cotton acreage increased from around 300,000 acres last year to about 360,000 acres in 2026, said MSU Extension cotton specialist Brian Pieralisi. Most of the crop was planted during the preferred early May window.
"There's so many variables in cotton," he said. "We can say we have a good crop out there and it's looking really good, but you don't know until the very end."
Insect pressure has remained relatively light across the state this year, according to MSU Extension entomologist Whitney Crow. In cotton, thrips, tarnished plant bugs and bollworms remain the primary concerns. In soybeans, loopers and stink bugs have been the main issues.
MSU Extension plant pathologist Tom Allen said major disease problems have generally remained manageable in both corn and soybeans this season.
