USDA Crop Progress Report - Corn 59% Harvested, Soybeans 76% Harvested as of Oct. 22

OMAHA (DTN) -- Mostly favorable weather conditions across much of the country last week allowed the corn and soybean harvests to maintain their lead over the five-year averages, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

CORN

-- Harvest progress: Corn harvest picked up speed last week, moving ahead 14 percentage points to reach 59% complete as of Sunday. That matches last year's pace but is 5 percentage points ahead of 54% for the five-year average. "Illinois and Iowa are 70% and 62% harvested, respectively," noted DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini. "States lagging are mostly in the Eastern Corn Belt, with Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin ranging from 20% to 26% complete."

SOYBEANS

-- Harvest progress: Soybean harvest slowed somewhat last week, moving ahead 14 percentage points to reach 76% complete as of Sunday. That is 2 points behind last year's 78% but 9 points ahead of the five-year average of 67%. "Illinois, Iowa, and the Dakotas are from 80% to 90% harvested," Mantini said.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting advanced 9 percentage points last week to reach 77% complete as of Sunday. That is 1 percentage point behind 78% for both last year and the five-year average. "Kansas' winter wheat is 85% planted, while Nebraska and Washington lead the pack at 99% and 95% done," Mantini said.

-- Crop progress: 53% of the crop had emerged as of Sunday, 6 points ahead of last year's 47% but equal to the five-year average.

WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

The first significant snowfall of the season in the Northern Plains, a swath of moderate to heavy rainfall across the Southern Plains into the Great Lakes, and widespread precipitation chances throughout the center of the country could cause harvest delays for quite a few producers this week, according to DTN Meteorologist Teresa Wells.

"This week will feature an active weather pattern across the central U.S. with a couple of low-pressure systems expected to move out of the West and into the Plains. Scattered rain showers are expected to accompany the low-pressure systems, and a swath of moderate to heavy rainfall could develop across the Southern Plains into the Great Lakes. The first significant snowfall of the season is also expected to hit North Dakota by the middle of this week with more rounds of snow through the end of the week. Snowfall totals could approach 10 inches in spots across western North Dakota by Friday. Farther south, portions of western Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas could see up to 1 to 3 inches of rain with locally higher amounts up to 4 to 5 inches.

"In addition to the widespread precipitation chances this week throughout the center of the country, an extreme temperature swing is likely behind a strong cold front later this week. Temperatures will start out above normal across much of the Plains, Delta and Upper Midwest through the middle of this week. Some areas in the southern Corn Belt will see temperatures rise to 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (F) above normal by midweek. A blast of cold air will follow these warmer temperatures, with below-normal temperatures working into the Dakotas as early as Thursday. These cooler temperatures will spread south through the upcoming weekend, and western parts of the Dakotas could see temperatures hit 15-20 degrees F below normal by Saturday.

"Delays in harvest are likely for quite a few producers this week and parts of the north-central U.S. could see even longer delays if heavy snowfall lingers due to temperatures not warming up much past 32 degrees F."