U.S. corn crop conditions held steady over the past week, while soybean ratings slipped slightly, even as planting and emergence remained ahead of normal.
Monday’s USDA crop progress report rated the U.S. corn crop at 67% good to excellent as of Sunday, unchanged from a week earlier and below 68% a year ago. The soybean crop was rated 65% good to excellent, down 1 point from the previous week and 3 points below last year. Heading into the report, most traders and analysts were expecting a 2-point improvement in the national condition rating for both corn and soybeans.
In Iowa, the largest corn-producing state, corn conditions improved to a strong 84% good to excellent, up 2 points from the previous week. Iowa soybeans also edged higher, rising 1 point to 80% good to excellent. Illinois corn improved 2 points to 67%, while the state’s soybean rating held steady at 64%.
Indiana saw some of the more notable deterioration. The state’s corn crop fell 4 points to 57% good to excellent, while soybeans also dropped 4 points to 55%. Michigan corn was unchanged at 68%, but soybeans slipped 2 points to 67%. Ohio corn dipped 1 point to 45%, while Ohio soybeans improved slightly to 47%.
In North Dakota, corn conditions improved sharply, rising 5 points to 67% good to excellent, while soybeans eased 2 points to 63%.
Crop development continued to advance quickly. U.S. corn planting reached 97% complete, up from 93% a week earlier and just ahead of the five-year average of 96%. Corn emergence was 86%, up 10 points on the week and matching the average. Soybean planting reached 92%, compared with 87% a week earlier and 88% on average, while soybean emergence jumped to 79%, well ahead of the 71% average.
