USDA Crop Progress - Corn 14% Harvested, Soybeans 13% Harvested as of Sept. 22

OMAHA (DTN) -- The U.S. corn and soybean harvests both continued ahead of last year and the five-year average pace last week, according to USDA NASS' weekly national Crop Progress report on Monday.

Harvest could be delayed for some farmers this week as one last burst of a system that dumped heavy rain late last week and over the weekend across parts of the Plains and Midwest moves through the Midwest on Monday and Tuesday. Then, next week, farmers in the southeastern Plains through the Midwest again may have to dodge showers from a tropical storm that is starting to develop in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Thursday.

CORN

-- Crop development: Corn dented was estimated at 92%, 2 points behind last year's 94%, but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Corn mature was pegged at 61%, 4 points behind last year's 65% but 6 points ahead of the five-year average of 55%. "North Dakota and Minnesota are lagging at 72% and 84% dented -- well under the average," noted DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini.

-- Harvest progress: Corn harvest moved ahead 5 percentage points last week to reach 14% complete as of Sunday. That was 1 point ahead of last year's 13% and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 11%. Illinois' crop was 14% harvested, and Iowa's crop was just 5% harvested.

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 65% of corn still in fields was in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but above last year's 53%. Twelve percent of the crop was rated very poor to poor, unchanged from the previous week but below 18% last year. "Illinois' and Iowa's corn crops were rated 76% and 77% good to excellent, respectively," Mantini said.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 65%, 3 points behind last year's 68% but 8 points ahead of the five-year average of 57%. As with corn, Minnesota and North Dakota were lagging in soybeans reaching maturity.

-- Harvest progress: Soybean harvest moved ahead 7 percentage points last week to reach 13% complete as of Sunday, 3 points ahead of last year's 10% and 5 points ahead of the five-year average of 8%. "Louisiana and Mississippi were leading at 63% and 57% harvested, respectively," Mantini said. "Illinois was 15% harvested, and Iowa was 9% harvested."

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 64% of soybeans still in fields were in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but still above last year's rating of 50% good to excellent. Illinois' and Iowa's soybeans were rated at 71% and 78% good to excellent, respectively.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest inched ahead another 4 percentage points last week to reach 96% complete as of Sunday. That put this year's harvest progress at 1 point ahead of last year's 95% and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 95%.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting moved ahead 11 points last week to reach 25% nationwide as of Sunday, 2 points ahead of last year's 23% and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 24%. "Washington, Nebraska and Colorado were leading the pack at 54%, 51% and 47% planted, respectively," Mantini noted. "Kansas was 16% planted."

-- Crop development: An estimated 4% of winter wheat was emerged as of Sunday, 2 points behind last year's 6% and 1 point behind the five-year average of 5%.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Parts of the Midwest and Southeast U.S. could see harvest delays this week and next week, first due to rain from the last of a system moving through the Midwest early in the week and then from a tropical storm that is expected to become a hurricane and make landfall in Florida later in the week, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"Heavy rain late last week and over the weekend spread across portions of the Plains and Midwest," Baranick said. "One last burst to the system is moving through the Midwest for Monday and Tuesday. The heavy rain is good for reducing drought and increasing soil moisture for those that do winter planting, but it will make it slower for harvest in the week ahead as producers wait for their fields to dry back out.

"However, they may have to wait a while in some areas. A tropical storm is starting to develop in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Thursday. Being cut off from any jet stream interaction as it reaches the U.S., it will swirl around going into next week. While those in the Southeast will have to deal with heavy rain from the hurricane, others from the southeastern Plains through the Midwest may have to dodge showers into next week, which could cause further delays to harvest.

"This is a fluid situation, though, and the impact for the Corn Belt is not certain. We could see some drastic changes to the forecast in the coming days."

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn Dented	92	85	94	91
Corn Mature	61	45	65	55
Corn Harvested	14	9	13	11
Soybeans Dropping Leaves	65	44	68	57
Soybeans Harvested	13	6	10	8
Spring Wheat Harvested	96	92	95	95
Winter Wheat Planted	25	14	23	24
Winter Wheat Emerged	4	NA	6	5
Cotton Bolls Opening	63	54	62	60
Cotton Harvested	14	10	12	12
Sorghum Coloring	92	84	90	91
Sorghum Mature	60	46	55	52
Sorghum Harvested	29	24	27	27
Barley Harvested	97	94	95	96
Rice Harvested	71	64	63	56

**

National Crop Condition Summary
(VP=Very Poor; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; E=Excellent)
	This Week						Last Week						Last Year
	VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E
Corn	4	8	23	50	15		4	8	23	49	16		6	12	29	44	9
Soybeans	3	8	25	52	12		3	8	25	52	12		6	12	32	42	8
Sorghum	8	14	34	36	8		9	14	33	37	7		11	16	31	33	9
Cotton	14	19	30	32	5		10	16	35	34	5		20	22	28	25	5