While no state is completely finished planting corn, some are getting close as the entire corn crop is 71% planted for 2012. This is well ahead of the five-year average of 47% by this date, and even further ahead of last year’s 32% pace.

Close to finishing corn planting for this season are Tennessee (98%), North Carolina (94%) and Kentucky (92%). Nebraska and Minnesota made major planting progress in the last week, reaching 74% and 73% complete, up from 44% and 48% (respectively) last week.

All but one of the states are seeing green across the landscape, as corn is emerging everywhere but Wisconsin. The 2012 crop is nearly 1/3 out of the ground, almost 20 points ahead of the 13% five-year average. Eleven percent of the South Dakota and Minnesota corn crops have come through the soil, well ahead of last weeks 0% and 1%, respectively. Illinois saw a 30-point increase in emerged corn to 64% this week over last week, and Indiana was up 26 points to 50% emerged.

Soybean planting increased to nearly ¼ planted to 24% this week, still well ahead of the 11% five-year average. Nebraska again had solid progress, going from 6% of the soybean crop planted last week to 29% in this week. Indiana and Louisiana farmers were busy planting beans, too, increasing planted acreage by 20 points each to 48% and 62% planted, respectively.

All but four states are seeing some beans emerge, with total crop emergence at 7%, just a big ahead of the 3% five-year average. The Mississippi bean crop is over half out of the ground with 58% and Arkansas’ beans are 41% emerged. Louisiana has just over a third of its soybeans popping up.