USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn, Soybean Conditions Up 2 Percentage Points Week Ended Aug. 6

OMAHA (DTN) -- Beneficial widespread rains this past weekend and a break from the extreme heat across much of the country helped corn and soybean conditions rebound from the previous week, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

CORN

-- Crop progress: 93% of corn was silking as of Sunday, Aug. 6, 4 percentage points ahead of 89% last year and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Corn in the dough stage was pegged at 47%, 5 percentage points ahead of last year and near the five-year average of 46%. An estimated 8% of corn was dented, even with the five-year average.

-- Crop condition: Nationally, corn was rated 57% good to excellent, up 2 percentage points from 55% the previous week but still slightly below 58% a year ago at this time. "Illinois and Iowa are rated 58% and 59% good to excellent, respectively," said DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop progress: 90% of soybeans were blooming, 2 percentage points ahead of 88% last year and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 87%. Soybeans setting pods was pegged at 66%, 7 percentage points ahead of last year's 59% and 3 points ahead of the average of 63%.

-- Crop condition: Soybeans were rated 54% good to excellent as of Sunday, up 2 percentage points from 52% last week but still below 59% a year ago at this time. "Illinois and Iowa soybeans are rated 58% and 53% good to excellent, respectively," Mantini said.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Winter wheat harvest slowed last week, moving ahead 7 points to reach 87% completed. This year's harvest now trails the five-year average by just 1 percentage point. The crop in Nebraska was 87% harvested, Montana was at 42% and Washington was 57% harvested, noted DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest moved ahead 8 percentage points last week to reach 11% completed as of Sunday. That was 3 percentage points behind the five-year average of 14%. "South Dakota leads the way at 38% harvested, while North Dakota is at 2%," Hultman noted.

-- Crop condition: USDA said 41% of the spring wheat crop was rated good to excellent as of Aug. 6, down 1 percentage point from last week's 42%, and below 64% a year ago. "The spring wheat crop in North Dakota was 43% good to excellent, down from 44% last week," Hultman said.

WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Much of the central and northern U.S. will continue to see beneficial weather for crops this week, while Texas will continue to bake in the heat, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"We saw some good rainfall over a lot of the country over the past weekend with a system that moved through, and that burst of energy is really opening the door up for a much more beneficial weather pattern across most of the primary agricultural areas for the next two weeks," Baranick said. "We've got several systems that will be moving through the north-central U.S. and a stalled front from Oklahoma to the Southeast that should be active as well.

"Temperatures north of that front will be mild to a bit cool, which should help with stress for any areas that remain dry, especially around Wisconsin. South of that front, though, it continues to be hot. And Texas, which has been in a long stretch of heat this summer, continues to bake. The Gulf Coast areas will also be very hot but could get some rainfall to mitigate their heat.

"A similarly active and cool pattern is expected for next week as well."