As farmers cross the finish line with the 2025 planting season, many are now returning to fields for corn stand evaluations to see what kind of plant emergence and uniformity they have.
“If replanting is warranted, the sooner you can do that the better in most cases,” says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist and owner of Crop-Tech Consulting, Inc., based in central Illinois.
Here are four recommendations he and other agronomists offer to help you in the evaluation process:
1. Use actual stand count numbers from your fields.
Ferrie tells farmers to start the evaluation process by assessing what their current crop will yield versus what a replanted crop is likely to yield. This involves evaluating the corn stand and total plant populations in each field.
“What you’re looking for is uniformity of corn growth in your fields,” he says. “You want to look at each plant within the row to see if it can put on a viable ear; uniform growth means more plants will be able to do that.”
He explains how poor uniformity impacts growth and development: “Say you have 26,000 corn plants per acre, of which 24,000 are at the three-collar stage and 2,000 are at less than the two-collar stage. Those 2,000 late emergers won’t put on a viable ear and are essentially weeds in the field.”
Ferrie also looks at genetics. “Every hybrid flexes, but how much each will flex varies,” he says. “Some flex in length, some flex in girth and most just flex in kernel depth so you get a bigger ear with the same amount of kernels. If you lose stand, a flex hybrid will often fill in the gaps. However, if a fixed-ear type loses plant count, it won’t be as easy to pick up the slack.”
Ferrie offers a free replant calculator online to help growers make replant decisions. You can access the online calculator here.
If you are also concerned about the quality of your soybean stands, be sure to check out Ferrie’s Boots In The Field podcast here:
2. Destroy the original corn stand and start over.
This is likely a painful undertaking, but attempts to “thicken” corn stands by interseeding directly into an existing stand generally result in additional complications, reports Mark Licht, associate professor and Extension cropping systems specialist, Iowa State University.
“Larger plants compete strongly for space, water, and nutrients and complicate subsequent management decisions,” Licht says. “Thus, it is always recommended that if a replant is warranted, destroy the original stand and start over. If the original stand is adequate, leave it alone and be willing to accept it as is.”
Ferrie agrees with this perspective. “If you can’t bring yourself to tear it out, your stand is good enough,” he says. “Don’t let the coffee shop tell you how to handle your replant decisions. This is not a decision where the majority rules. Each field needs to be called on its own.”
Check out Licht’s Corn Replant Checklist for a list of recommendations he offers on how to make replant decisions.
3. Consider whether you need to change hybrids.
Another major consideration that goes hand-in-hand with making a replant decision is whether or not a hybrid change is needed.
Licht says that prior to June 1 in Iowa, it is recommended to stay with originally chosen well adapted hybrid maturities. However, full season hybrid maturities less consistently reach physiological maturity compared to short season hybrids, especially when planting is delayed past June 1.
4. Estimate replanting costs and commodity prices.
The cost of replanting a field is often the deciding factor. Costs include tillage, seed, fuel (for tillage and planting), additional pesticides, labor, etc. Moreover, consider the chance of fall frost is higher for late-planted corn.
Licht recommends checking with your seed dealer to see what hybrid seed (in a shorter maturity) is available and if there is any rebate or price reduction for replant situations.
Along with that, weigh the costs of replanting against potential return on investment. Talk with agronomic and financial advisers to help you make the decision that’s best suited to your specific scenario.
Your next read: Use Corn Stand Counts To Ease The Stress In Making Replant Decisions
