USDA Crop Progress - Corn 9% Harvested, Soybeans 6% Harvested as of Sept. 15

OMAHA (DTN) -- The U.S. corn harvest continued to outpace the five-year average last week, and the nation's soybean harvest also kicked off ahead of normal, according to USDA NASS' weekly national Crop Progress report on Monday.

CORN

-- Crop development: Corn dented was estimated at 85%, 3 points behind last year's 88%, but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 84%. Corn mature was pegged at 45%, 3 points behind last year's 48% but 7 points ahead of the five-year average of 38%. "North Dakota and Minnesota are lagging at 59% and 69% dented -- well under their averages," noted DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini.

-- Harvest progress: Corn harvest moved ahead 4 percentage points last week to reach 9% complete as of Sunday. That is 1 point ahead of last year's 8% and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 6%. "Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, at 46%, 33% and 24% harvested, respectively, are all well above the average pace," Mantini said.

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 65% of the corn still in fields was in good-to-excellent condition, back up 1 point from 64% the previous week and above last year's 51%. Twelve percent of the crop was rated very poor to poor, unchanged from the previous week but below 20% last year. "Illinois' and Iowa's corn crops are each rated 77% good to excellent," Mantini said.

SOYBEANS

-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 44%, 3 points behind last year's 47% but 7 points ahead of the five-year average of 37%. As with corn, Minnesota's and North Dakota's soybeans were lagging other states in reaching maturity.

-- Harvest progress: In its first soybean harvest report of the season, NASS estimated 6% of the crop was harvested as of Sunday, 2 points ahead of last year's 4% and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 3%. Louisiana's harvest was the furthest along at 46%, near the state's average pace of 47%. Mississippi's soybean harvest was the furthest ahead of normal at 44% complete versus a five-year average of 24%. Arkansas' harvest, at 29% complete, and Tennessee's harvest, at 22% complete, also were both well ahead of those state's five-year averages.

-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 64% of soybeans still in fields were in good-to-excellent condition, down 1 point from 65% the previous week but still above last year's rating of 52% good to excellent. "Illinois and Iowa soybeans are rated at 72% and 77% good to excellent, respectively," Mantini said.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest moved ahead 7 percentage points last week to reach 92% complete as of Sunday. That put this year's harvest progress at 1 point ahead of last year's 91% and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 90%. "North Dakota's spring wheat is 88% harvested, and Minnesota is 99% harvested. Washington and South Dakota are both 100% harvested," Mantini noted.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting moved ahead 8 points last week to reach 14% nationwide as of Sunday, 1 point ahead of both last year and the five-year average of 13%. "Washington's winter wheat planting is the most advanced, at 43%, with Colorado second at 35% planted, followed by South Dakota at 25%. Kansas' crop is 9% planted," Mantini said.

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THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Most of the Eastern Corn Belt is expected to remain hot and dry this week, while the Western Corn Belt could see some rain and cooler weather next week, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"Hot and dry is the constant feature in the Eastern Corn Belt this week, after some rain snuck in from the south due to Francine and its remnants," Baranick said. "There will be lots of temperatures in the 80s and 90s Fahrenheit this week, and showers are going to avoid a lot of areas, but there are some caveats to that forecast.

"A tropical low-pressure center is moving into South Carolina on Monday afternoon and continuing northwestward. It will not become named, but it will still bring a lot of rain to the Carolinas and some of the surrounding areas the next few days. Rain may even spill over the Appalachians into eastern Kentucky and Ohio, areas that could really use some rain with building drought.

"And a storm system is moving from the West into the Northern Plains on Tuesday. The system will continue north through the Canadian Prairies. The heaviest rains may be out of the primary growing areas in the U.S., but it will leave behind a front from Minnesota down to the Texas Panhandle that will continue to be active this week.

"A low-pressure center is likely to form on the front in Nebraska this weekend before traveling northeast into early next week. Some areas of heavy rain are likely for the Plains and Western Corn Belt, good for building soil moisture for immature corn and soybeans and winter wheat planting, but not for dry-down or harvest of crops in these areas. Temperatures will only slightly fall behind the front, and any cool down will be brief, as temperatures rise again early next week ahead of another system."

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn Dented	85	74	88	84
Corn Mature	45	29	48	38
Corn Harvested	9	5	8	6
Soybeans Dropping Leaves	44	25	47	37
Soybeans Harvested	6	NA	4	3
Spring Wheat Harvested	92	85	91	90
Winter Wheat Planted	14	6	13	13
Cotton Bolls Opening	54	45	52	50
Cotton Harvested	10	8	9	8
Sorghum Coloring	84	75	82	83
Sorghum Mature	46	36	44	41
Sorghum Harvested	24	21	23	24
Oats Harvested	97	94	97	97
Barley Harvested	94	89	92	93
Rice Harvested	64	54	54	44

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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	49	16		4	8	24	48	16		7	13	29	43	8
Soybeans	3	8	25	52	12		3	7	25	52	13		6	12	30	44	8
Sorghum	9	14	33	37	7		7	13	32	40	8		11	16	30	34	9
Cotton	10	16	35	34	5		12	16	32	34	6		20	23	28	24	5