News

64% of U.S. corn, 61% of soybeans rated good to excellent

The USDA says the national condition ratings for corn and soybeans declined slightly over the past week.

Weather last week in key U.S. growing areas varied widely, from continued drought conditions in parts of the Plains to flash floods in portions of the Midwest.

As of Sunday, 64% of U.S. corn is in good to excellent condition, down 1% on the week and 12% below this time last year, while 40% of the crop is silking, compared to the five year average of 47%.

61% of soybeans are rated good to excellent, 1% less than a week ago and 10% lower than a year ago. 52% of the crop is blooming and 16% of beans have reached the pod setting stage, both a little bit faster than normal. 75% of the winter wheat crop is harvested, compared to 73% on average.

35% of spring wheat is in good to excellent shape, down 1%, while 41% is called poor to very poor. 91% of spring wheat has headed, slightly ahead of usual.

52% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are rated good to excellent, a 1% week to week decline.