USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn, Soybean Condition Ratings Drop 3 Percentage Points for Week Ended June 26

OMAHA (DTN) -- U.S. corn and soybeans were developing at a near-average pace, but conditions for both crops slid again last week for the second week in a row, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress on Monday.

CORN

-- Crop development: 4% of corn was silking as of Sunday, June 26, according to NASS. That is equal to both last year's pace and the five-year average.

-- Crop condition: 67% of corn was rated in good-to-excellent condition, down 3 percentage point from 70% the previous week but up from 64% a year ago. "The current rating is also the fifth-lowest rating since 2000," said DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman. "The biggest percentage-point drops were in Kentucky (-24), Indiana and Tennessee (-11), and North Carolina and Ohio (-9). Good-to-excellent ratings were down 3 points to 80% in Iowa and down 1 point to 70% in Illinois."

SOYBEANS

-- Planting progress: 98% nationwide as of Sunday, up 4 percentage points from the previous week, and 1 percentage point ahead of the five-year average of 97%.

-- Crop development: 91% of soybeans had emerged nationwide as of Sunday, equal to the five-year average. Seven percent of soybeans were blooming, 6 percentage points behind last year's 13% and 4 percentage points behind the five-year average of 11%.

-- Crop condition: 65% of soybeans were rated in good-to-excellent condition, down 3 percentage points from 68% the previous week but up from 60% last year. "Soybeans in Iowa held on to last week's 80% good-to-excellent rating, and Illinois stayed at 66%," Hultman said. "Big drops were registered in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Drops of 6 to 9 points were noted in Nebraska, Ohio and Indiana."

WINTER WHEAT

-- Crop development: 98% of the winter wheat crop was headed nationwide as of Sunday, equal to the five-year average.

-- Harvest progress: 41% of the crop was harvested as of Sunday, 10 percentage points ahead of last year and 6 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 35%. Kansas' crop was 27% harvested. Texas and Oklahoma were 72% harvested. "Kansas is now 59% harvested -- well ahead of the 40% average," said DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini. "Oklahoma is now 90% harvested with Texas at 80% done."

-- Crop condition: 30% of winter wheat was rated good to excellent, unchanged from the previous week and below last year's rating of 48%. That portion of the crop rated very poor to poor remained unchanged at 43%. "Montana trailed the field at just 22% good to excellent and 48% very poor to poor, while Oklahoma was unchanged at just 14% good to excellent with 56% of that crop still rated very poor to poor," Mantini said.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Crop development: 98% of the crop had emerged as of Sunday, 1 percentage point behind the five-year average of 99%. Only 8% of the crop was headed, 37 percentage points behind last year and 26 percentage points behind the five-year average of 34%.

-- Crop condition: 59% of the crop was rated in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week and well above last year's rating of 20%. "Minnesota's spring wheat condition was unchanged at 64% good to excellent, and North Dakota's was 69% good to excellent, down 2 points from the previous week. Montana's crop was rated 28% good to excellent and 25% very poor to poor."

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Farmers can expect a break from the extreme heat and a return to more typical summer weather this coming week, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"This week we are seeing a more typical summer pattern of temperatures and precipitation," Baranick said. "A front moved through this past weekend and is settling in across the South and Southeast where showers will continue through the week. The front brought temperatures back toward normal for this time of year, and much of the country will be waffling back and forth between slightly above and slightly below normal with few exceptions.

"The pattern will also bring a front south into the Corn Belt on Tuesday that will waffle around the region through the end of the week. The front will produce showers, but they will be very hit-or-miss with thunderstorm development controlling where this occurs, which tends to miss more areas than it hits."