USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn Condition Up 4 Points to 55% Good to Excellent

OMAHA (DTN) -- Another week of widespread rains and cooler weather boosted the national corn condition rating for the second week in a row, and soybean condition also improved slightly following several weeks of declines, according to USDA NASS' weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

CORN

-- Crop progress: 22% of corn was silking, 8 percentage points ahead of 14% last year and slightly ahead of the five-year average of 21%. Corn in the dough stage was pegged at 3%, near both last year and the five-year average rating of 2%.

-- Crop condition: Nationally, corn was rated 55% good to excellent, up 4 percentage points from 51% the previous week but down from 64% a year ago at this time. This year's current rating is still the lowest for this time of year since 2012. "Nebraska's corn crop showed the largest jump in the good-to-excellent rating, climbing 13 percentage points to 62%," noted DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop progress: 39% of soybeans were blooming, 9 percentage points ahead of 30% last year and 4 points ahead of the five-year average of 35%. Soybeans setting pods was pegged at 10%, 4 percentage points ahead of last year's 6% and 3 points ahead of the average of 7%.

-- Crop condition: Soybeans were rated 51% good to excellent as of Sunday, up 1 percentage point from 50% last week but down from 62% a year ago at this time. Like corn, soybean's current rating is still the lowest since 2012. "As with corn, Nebraska had the largest rating jump for soybeans last week, going from 43% to 55%," Hultman said.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: 46% of the crop was harvested as of Sunday, up 9 points from the previous week and now 13 points behind the five-year average pace of 59%. "Fifty-nine percent of Kansas wheat was harvested, well below its five-year average of 84% for this time of year," noted DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini. "Only 12% has been harvested in Nebraska, about half of the average pace."

-- Crop condition: Nationwide, winter wheat still in fields was rated 40% good to excellent, unchanged from the previous week and ahead of last year's rating at this time of 31% good to excellent.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Crop progress: 72% of spring wheat was headed as of Sunday, 5 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 67%.

-- Crop condition: USDA said 47% of the spring wheat crop was rated good to excellent as of July 9, down 1 percentage point from last week's 48%, and down from 70% a year ago. "Forty-two percent of the spring wheat crop in North Dakota was rated good to excellent, up 2 points from 40% a week ago," Mantini said. "Minnesota is rated 62% good to excellent."