USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn 92% Planted, Rated 69% in Good-to-Excellent Condition as of May 28

OMAHA (DTN) -- Corn and soybean planting continued to outpace the five-year average last week, spring wheat planting came within 1 percentage point of the five-year average, and winter wheat condition improved slightly, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress Report on Tuesday.

CORN

-- Planting progress: Corn planting moved ahead 11 percentage points last week to reach 92% as of Sunday, May 28. That's 8 percentage points ahead of last year's 84% and the five-year average of 84%. "North Dakota caught up to its usual pace and is 72% planted," DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman noted.

-- Crop progress: 72% of corn had emerged as of Sunday, up 20 percentage points from the previous week and 9 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

-- Crop condition: In NASS' first corn condition report of the season, the nation's corn crop was rated 69% in good-to-excellent condition, down from 73% a year ago.

SOYBEANS

-- Planting progress: Soybean planting sped up last week, moving ahead 17 percentage points from last week to 83% as of Sunday. That is 19 percentage points ahead of last year and 18 points ahead of the five-year average. Hultman noted that "53% of the soybean crop in North Dakota was planted, close to its five-year average of 55% for this time of year. No other state was below its five-year pace."

-- Crop progress: 56% of soybeans were emerged as of Sunday, 20 percentage points ahead of last year and 16 points ahead of the five-year average.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Crop development: 72% of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday, up 11 percentage points from the previous week and 1 point lower than the five-year average.

-- Crop condition: Nationwide, winter wheat was rated 34% good to excellent, up 3 percentage points from the previous week and ahead of last year's rating at this time of 29% good to excellent. "Oklahoma showed the biggest jump, going from 10% good to excellent to 30%, and was followed by significant gains in Montana and Idaho. Of the crop, 69% in Kansas remains rated poor to very poo," Hultman said.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Planting progress: 85% of the spring wheat crop was planted as of Sunday, up 21 percentage points from the previous week and now just 1 percentage point behind the five-year average. "North Dakota still shows the slowest progress, but at 79% planted is just 2 percentage points below its five-year average," Hultman added.

-- Crop progress: 57% of spring wheat was emerged as of Sunday, up 5 percentage points from the previous week and now just 2 percentage points behind the five-year average.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

This week should look pretty similar to last week, as we remain in a fairly stagnant pattern, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"We'll have daily showers and thunderstorms up and down the Plains every day into next week. It won't be the same spots getting hit every day, and not all areas are going to be hit equally, but it's another week of trying to reduce drought.

"Although, farther east, it's been the opposite and pretty dry. We'll get more showers in the Midwest this week than what we saw last week, but nothing overly widespread. Some of these areas are getting drier and in need of some moisture quickly.

"With temperatures trying to break the 90-degree mark most of this week, soil moisture will be falling fast for young plants. Only a few spots are forecast to get anything substantial, and mostly west of the Mississippi River."