USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn 65% Planted, Soybeans 49% Planted

OMAHA (DTN) -- The pace of corn and soybean planting slowed somewhat last week due to periods of rain across parts of the country, but overall, planting progress for both crops remains ahead of average, with soybean planting still ahead by double digits, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress Report on Monday.

CORN

-- Planting progress: Following a 23-point jump the previous week, corn planting moved ahead at a slower pace of 16 percentage points last week to reach 65% as of Sunday, May 14. That's still 20 percentage points ahead of last year's 45% and 6 points ahead of the five-year average of 59%. Notable states: Top corn producers Iowa and Illinois were 86% and 84% planted, respectively, noted DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman. Minnesota is 61% planted, and North Dakota remains far behind at 5% planted.

-- Crop progress: 30% of corn had emerged as of Sunday, up 18 percentage points from the previous week and now 5 percentage point ahead of the average of 25%.

SOYBEANS

-- Planting progress: The pace of soybean planting also slowed slightly last week, moving ahead 14 percentage points compared to 16 points the previous week to reach 49% as of Sunday. That is 22 percentage points ahead of last year's 27% and 13 points ahead of the five-year average of 36%. Notable states: Illinois was 77% planted and Iowa was at 69%. As with corn, North Dakota remains far behind in soybean plantings, showing just 2%, Hultman said.

-- Crop progress: 20% of soybeans were emerged as of Sunday, 12 percentage points ahead of last year's 8% and 9 points ahead of the average of 11%.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Crop development: 49% of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday, up 11 percentage points from the previous week and now just 1 percentage point ahead of the five-year average of 48%.

-- Crop condition: Nationwide, winter wheat was rated 29% good to excellent, unchanged from the previous week and now slightly ahead of last year's rating at the same time of 27% good to excellent. USDA also said 41% of the crop was rated poor to very poor, down 3 percentage points from last week and even with a year ago, Hultman noted.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Planting progress: 40% of the spring wheat crop was planted as of Sunday, up 16 percentage points from the previous week but 17 percentage points behind the five-year average of 57%. Notable states: North Dakota is 20% planted and Minnesota is at 28% -- both below their usual paces, Hultman noted.

-- Crop progress: 13% of spring wheat was emerged as of Sunday, up 8 percentage points from the previous week and 10 percentage points behind the five-year average of 23%.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Parts of the country that were badly in need of rain received it last week, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick. And more rain is in the forecast -- along with mild to warm temperatures -- this week, which should benefit emerging crops, he said.

"A lot of the middle of the country saw really good rainfall last week," Baranick said. "Areas in drought across the Plains and Midwest were fortunate to pick up on rain, except for southwestern Kansas and western Oklahoma through the Panhandle. Some drought areas even saw flooding, with western Nebraska, far northwest Kansas, and northeast Colorado picking up on 2-4 inches of rain, and some spots over 6 inches. The same goes for eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, southern Minnesota, and parts of Texas into southern Missouri.

"This week, we have an upper-level low currently situated over the Ozarks, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the southeastern Plains into the southwestern Midwest. That system will push eastward for Tuesday with showers lingering over the Southeast on Wednesday. That won't be the only rain-producer this week, as a front will sweep through the country, starting in the Northern Plains on Wednesday, and continuing south and east through the rest of the country through the weekend. Showers will be weaker farther north and west but could develop into some pockets of heavier rain in the Southern Plains through the eastern Midwest and points south. That includes the area in the southwestern Plains that missed out last week.

"Temperatures stay mostly mild to warm, though we should see a brief two-day cooldown behind that front moving through later this week. Nothing extreme is expected either side of normal, however."