Agricultural News
As Corn Harvest Begins, Crop Matures Under Mostly Dry Skies
Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:30:55 CDT
The U.S. corn crop marched toward maturity without further drought damage according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported today. With 53 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition, 22 percent of the crop had reached full maturity and 81 percent reached the dent stage by September 15.
"While many growers have noticed the impact of late-season drought on their crops, official reports continue to forecast a crop that, while lagging in progress, is not declining in quality at this point," said National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson. "The drought monitors show conditions have reached the severe stage in several key corn-growing areas of the upper Midwest, thus we realize that the impact of weather conditions throughout the season cannot yet be fully assessed."
Corn maturity continues to lag following a late, cool planting season with corn at full maturity currently 19 points behind the five-year average of 41 percent at this time. Likewise, only four percent of the total U.S. corn crop had been harvested by Sept. 15, six points behind the five-year average. While many areas of the country have not yet begun harvesting corn, Texas and North Carolina made significant progress with 61 and 53 percent of corn acreage harvested respectively, nearing the five-year average for those states.
The corn condition remained largely unchanged from the prior week's forecast with 13 percent of the crop reported to be in excellent condition and 40 percent in good condition. Despite the flash drought conditions reported in many areas, the percentage of corn in good condition was forecast only one point lower than the previous week. Notably, the crop quality far surpasses that seen last year when only three percent of the crop remained in excellent condition and 21 percent in good at this point in the season.
"While weather can still impact the crop as it reaches maturity, we are growing closer to having a more accurate handle on this quality and quantity of corn grown with each passing week."
Click here for the USDAs weekly report on crop progress.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
