Agricultural News
Iowa Corn and Soybean Crops Look Great- Crops Not So Great in Eastern Corn/Bean Belt
Tue, 04 Aug 2015 04:22:17 CDT
Corn's national condition stayed at 70% good to excellent in Monday's USDA update with the excellent rating gaining 1 point and good slipping one as minor improvements in Indiana and Nebraska were offset by small declines in a number of states including Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin. At this point last year, 73 percent of corn acres were in good or excellent condition.
Corn acres doughing moved within two points of the five-year average last week. Ninety percent of corn acres have now reached the silking stage as of August 2.
Despite progress that led silking to surpass the five-year average across the country two weeks ago, the percentage of acres in the doughing stage trailed the five-year average with Kansas lagging a full 16 points behind that state's five-year average for this point in the season.
State ratings that are better than the national average include Iowa at 83% good to excellent- Minnesota at 87% good to excellent, North Dakota at 81% and Wisconsin at 80% good to excellent. Meanwhile, states that are significantly under the national number of 70% good to excellent are found mostly in the eastern corn belt. They include Ohio at 46% good to excellent, Indiana at 47%, Missouri at 52% and Illinois at 56% good to excellent on the corn crop ratings.
Meanwhile, the US Soybean crop improved by one percentage point in the good to excellent category this week- now at 63% good to excellent versus 62% a week ago- but well under the 71% rating at this point in 2014. The soybean crop in Kentucky and Tennessee looks really good this season- at 74 and 80 percent good to excellent respectively. Iowa also has a great soybean crop in the making as they now stand at 79 percent good to excellent.
However, those same states that are struggling with the corn crop this season also have a less than stellar soybean crop out in their fields. Missouri farmers are having a hard time this season, with 23% in poor to very poor condition- and only 29% in good to excellent shape. Indiana is another state that is a concern- 43 percent is in good to excellent shape but fully one fourth of their crop is rated in poor to very poor condition.
Grain sorghum crop conditions are at 68% good to excellent- even with last week and better than a year ago by nine percentage points. The US Cotton crop stands at 57% in good to excellent shape versus 53 percent in good to excellent shape a year ago- 57% of the crop is now setting bolls nationally versus 65% at that stage a year ago and 64% for the five year average. Texas is eleven percentage points behind their five year average on boll setting this season- a lot of that having to do with the rain in the rolling plains and high plains this growing season. Oklahoma stands at 37% of the bolls set- even with the five year average but way behind the early crop seen in 2014 which was at 64 percent bolls set in early August last year.
To review the entire National Crop Progress report, click here.
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