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U.S. corn condition posts slight improvement

June 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

USDA reports the national corn condition rating improved slightly over the past week and in the first rating of the season, soybeans are in better shape than they were last year at this time.

As of Sunday, 54% of the U.S. corn crop is in good to excellent condition, 1% more than both a week ago and a year ago. 92% of corn has emerged, compared to 100% last year and the five year average of 97%.

85% of soybeans are planted, compared to 71% a week ago, 98% a year ago and 91% on average, with 66% emerged, compared to 94% last year and 80% on average. In the first rating for this year’s crop, 64% of soybeans are called good to excellent, compared to 56% a year ago.

89% of the winter wheat crop has headed, compared to 94% last year and 91% on average, with 11% harvested, compared to 51% a year ago and 25% on average. 31% of winter wheat is rated good to excellent, unchanged on the week, with 1% moving from good up to excellent.

92% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 100% last year and 97% on average, with 84% emerged, compared to 100% a year ago and 94% on average. 68% of spring wheat is called good to excellent, a week to week improvement of 6%.

52% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, 3% more than last week.

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USDA lowers corn production, ending stocks slightly

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

USDA has lowered its projection for new crop corn production and ending stocks due to widespread planting delays and general uncertainty about domestic production.

USDA sees this year’s corn crop at 14.005 billion bushels with an average yield of 156.5 bushels per acre, compared to May’s guess of 14.140 billion bushels with an average yield of 158.0 bushels per acre. There were no changes to the acreage estimates, but those could come in USDA’s June 28 report.

New crop corn ending stocks are pegged at 1.949 billion bushels, compared to 2.004 billion in May. The average farm price for old crop is estimated at $6.75 to $7.15 per bushel with new crop at $4.40 to $5.20 per bushel.

USDA didn’t make any adjustments to the balance sheet for beans, but did raise the average new crop farm price estimate $.25 on both ends to $9.75 to $11.75 per bushel. Old crop soybeans are estimated at $14.35 per bushel.

Quarterly grain stocks are out June 28, along with new acreage figures, and the next set of supply and demand projections is out July 11.

Breakdown of selected supply and demand tables:

[Read more...]

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95% of U.S. corn, 71% of soybeans planted

June 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

This year’s U.S. corn crop is nearly planted and soybean planting is almost three quarters of the way done as a very trying planting season tries to draw to a close.

As of Sunday, 95% of corn is planted, compared to 91% a week ago, 100% a year ago and the five year average of 98%. 85% of corn has emerged, compared to 99% last year and 92% on average. 63% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, unchanged on the week, with 29% rated fair and 8% called poor to very poor.

For soybeans, 71% of the crop is planted, compared to 57% a week ago, 97% a year ago and 84% on average. 48% of beans have emerged, compared to 88% last year and 67% on average.

82% of the winter wheat crop has headed, compared to 91% a year ago and 86% on average with 5% harvested, compared to 37% this time last year and the five year average of 16%. 31% of winter wheat is in good to excellent shape, 1% less than a week ago, and 42% is in poor to very poor condition, also 1% less than a week ago.

87% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 100% a year ago and 96% on average, with 71% emerged, compared to 100% last year and 89% on average. 62% of spring wheat is called good to excellent, down 1% on the week.

49% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, an increase of 3% on the week and 8% above this time last year.

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91% of U.S. corn, 57% of soybeans planted

June 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

According to USDA, U.S. corn and soybean planting rates improved last week, but corn was hampered by another round of heavy rains and both crops remain behind average.

As of Sunday, 91% of corn is planted, compared to 86% a week ago, 100% a year ago and the five year average of 95%, and 74% has emerged, compared to 96% last year and 82% on average. In the first rating of the season, 63% of corn is in good to excellent condition, compared to 72% a year ago.

57% of soybeans are planted, compared to 44% last week, 93% last year and 74% on average, and 31% has emerged, compared to 76% a year ago and 49% on average.

32% of winter wheat is in good to excellent shape and 43% is called poor to very poor, both up 1% on the week, and 73% of winter wheat has headed, compared to 88% last year and 80% on average.

80% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 100% a year ago and 92% on average, and 61% has emerged, compared to 99% last year and 80% on average. 64% of spring wheat is rated good to excellent, compared to 78% a year ago.

46% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, a 4% week to week increase.

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71% of U.S. corn, 24% of soybeans planted

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

USDA reports producers made record corn planting progress over the past week.

As of Sunday, 71% of the U.S. corn crop is planted, compared to 28% a week ago, a week to week jump of 43%, matching the record set in 1992. A year ago, 95% of corn was planted and the five year average is 79%. 19% of corn has emerged, compared to 73% last year and 46% on average.

For soybeans, 24% is planted, compared to 6% a week ago, 71% a year ago, and the five year average of 42%. 3% of beans have emerged, compared to 32% last year and the five year average of 14%.

43% of winter wheat has headed, compared to 80% a year ago and 62% on average, with 31% rated good to excellent, down 1% on the week and 41% in poor to very poor condition, up 2%.

67% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 98% last year and 76% on average, with 22% emerged, compared to 82% a year ago and 49% on average.

38% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent shape, a week to week improvement of 4%.

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Good progress planting corn, but still well behind average

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

USDA reports the respective planting paces for corn, soybeans, and spring wheat all remain considerably slower than average after a slow start to the season.

As of Sunday, 28% of the U.S. corn crop is planted, compared to 12% a week ago, 85% a year ago and the five year average of 65% with Pennsylvania the only state ahead of average. Still, a number of states around the Midwest did see a significant week to week increase in planted area. 5% of corn has emerged, compared to 52% last year and 28% on average.

For soybeans, 6% is planted, compared to 2% a week ago, 43% a year ago, and 24% on average.

29% of the winter wheat crop is headed, compared to 73% last year and 51% on average, with 32% in good to excellent condition and 39% rated poor to very poor, both unchanged the week but in much worse shape than last year at this time.

43% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 92% a year ago and 63% on average, with 10% emerged, compared to 63% last year and 32% on average.

34% of pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, up 2% from the previous week.

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USDA still sees big U.S. corn, soybean crops

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Even with the widespread planting delays, USDA is expecting large U.S. corn and soybean crops this year.

In the latest supply and demand update, corn is projected at 14.140 billion bushels with an average yield of 158.0 bushels per acre. Planted area, from March’s prospective plantings report, is estimated at 97.3 million acres and harvested area is pegged at 89.5 million bushels.

Soybeans are seen at 3.390 billion bushels with an average yield of 44.5 bushels per acre. Planted area for soybeans is placed at 77.1 million bushels and harvested area is estimated at 76.2 million acres.

Weekly USDA crop progress and condition numbers are out every Monday, except holidays, at 4 PM Eastern/3 PM Central.

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U.S. corn planting remains well behind average

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Producers did make some progress last week, but nationally, the U.S. corn planting pace remains considerably slower than average.

As of Sunday, 12% of the crop is planted, compared to 5% a week ago, 69% a year ago, and the five year average of 47%, with 10 of the 18 top producing states at or below the national average. 3% of corn has emerged, compared to 29% last year and 15% on average.

For soybeans, 2% is planted, compared to 22% this time a year ago and the five year average of 12%, with most states yet to make an appreciable start.

20% of the winter wheat crop has headed, compared to 64% last year and 39% on average, with 32% of the crop rated good to excellent, down 1% on the week.

23% of the spring wheat crop is planted, compared to 82% a year ago and 50% on average, with 5% emerged, compared to 43% last year and 19% on average.

32% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, compared to 54% a year ago.

USDA’s supply and demand update and the new winter wheat production estimate are out Friday.

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2013 looking like 1947

May 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It’s been a wet, cold spring in many areas of the Cornbelt and as one climatologist tells Brownfield, there are some similarities to an historic spring from more than 60 year ago.

According to Iowa State University Climatologist Elwynn Taylor, at least in a few ways, 2013 resembles 1947, “It was the first really bad year after the end of the Dust Bowl…It stayed wet and it stayed cool right up into June and end of July. By the end of July and August, the growing degree days it had gotten behind with the cool weather suddenly more than caught up and the crop hasten to maturity and, as well, it began to have a great deal of heat stress. That was 1947. A year that to date, has almost been paralleled by what’s going on in 2013.”

USDA’s next national crop progress report is out Monday, May 6 at 4 PM Eastern/3 PM Central.

Elwynn Taylor discusses the weather (4 Minutes, 30 Seconds, MP3)

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5% of U.S. corn planted

April 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

USDA reports producers made very little corn planting progress last week due to continued wet, cold weather in many key growing areas.

As of Sunday, 5% of the U.S. corn crop is planted, compared to 4% a week ago, 49% a year ago, and the five year average of 31%. All of the 18 major U.S. corn producing states are behind their respective average paces, with 11 at 5% or less, including 7 at 1% or less. That slow planting pace is also having an impact on emergence – 2% of corn has emerged, compared to 14% last year at this time and 6% on average.

Additionally, poor weather is taking its’ toll on the winter and spring wheat crops. 33% of this year’s winter wheat crop is in good to excellent condition, down 2% on the week and 31% on the year, with 14% headed, compared to 55% a year ago and 29% on average. For spring wheat, 12% is planted, compared to 70% last year and 37% on average, with 3% emerged, compared to 26% a week ago and 10% on average.

USDA’s next national crop progress report is out May 6 at 4 PM Eastern/3 PM Central.

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