USDA’s most recent crop progress report, released Tuesday afternoon and covering the week through May 30, showed more planting progress for corn and soybeans, plus a first look at corn crop quality, which came in six points above the average trade guess. Winter wheat quality ratings also improved this past week.
Corn plantings are now 95% complete through Sunday, up from 90% a week ago. That’s a bit faster than 2020’s pace of 92% and moderately ahead of the prior five-year average of 87%. And 81% of the crop is now emerged, up from 64% last week and well above the prior five-year average of 70%.
USDA also issued its first set of corn quality ratings for the 2021 corn crop this week, showing 76% rated in good-to-excellent conditions. That was much higher than trade estimates, which averaged 70%. Another 20% of the crop is rated fair, with the remaining 4% rated poor or very poor. Nebraska leads the way among the top 18 production states, where an impressive 88% of the crop is rated good or excellent.
Soybean planting progress improved from 75% a week ago up to 84%. That was three points below the average trade guess but still far ahead of 2020’s pace of 74% and the prior five-year average of 67%. And 62% of the crop is now emerged, up from 41% a week ago and much faster than the prior five-year average of 42%.
Spring wheat plantings took another small step toward completion, moving from 94% a week ago up to 97% through Sunday. That’s a faster than 2020’s pace of 90% and the prior five-year average of 93%. USDA has marked four of the top six production states as 100% complete, and 80% of the crop is now emerged.
Spring wheat quality ratings spilled two points lower, with 43% of the crop now rated in good-to-excellent condition. Thirty-seven percent is rated fair (down four points from a week ago), with the remaining 20% rated poor or very poor (up six points from last week).
Winter wheat quality ratings improved a point, in contrast, moving to 48% rated in good-to-excellent condition and mirroring analyst expectations. Another 33% of the crop is rated fair (down two points from last week), with the remaining 19% rated poor or very poor (up a point from last week). Physiologically, 79% of the winter wheat crop is now headed, up from 67% last week and slightly above the prior five-year average of 78%.
Click here to read the latest USDA crop progress report for additional information on cotton, rice, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers and more.
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