A heatwave brought triple-digit weather to a sizable portion of the Midwest and Plains last week, and USDA’s latest crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through July 30, showed crop quality suffered as a result. Corn and soybean ratings each trended two points lower last week, which was a bigger drop than analysts were anticipating. Meantime, four out of every five of this season’s winter wheat acres have now been harvested.

Corn quality ratings faced a two-point dip last week, with analysts only expecting them to decline by one point. That leaves 55% of the crop now rated in good-to-excellent condition. Another 30% is rated fair (unchanged from last week), with the remaining 15% rated poor or very poor (up two points from last week).

Physiologically, 84% of the crop is now silking, up from 68% a week ago and a bit ahead of the prior five-year average of 82%. And 29% is now at dough stage, up from 16% the prior week and identical to the prior five-year average.

Soybean quality ratings also saw a two-point decline last week, with 52% of the crop now in good-to-excellent condition. Another 33% is rated fair (up one point from last week), with the remaining 15% rated poor or very poor (up one point from last week).

Physiologically, 83% of the crop is now blooming, up from 70% a week ago and ahead of the prior five-year average of 78%. And 50% is now setting pods, up from 35% a week ago and ahead of the prior five-year average of 47%.

Analysts were only expecting to see a one-point drop in spring wheat quality ratings, but USDA slashed them by seven points, with 42% of the crop now in good-to-excellent condition. Another 42% is rated fair (up seven points from last week), with the remaining 16% rated poor or very poor (unchanged from last week).

Nearly all of this season’s spring wheat is now headed, at 97%. That’s slightly below the prior five-year average of 98%. And harvest is finally underway, with 2% completion through July 30. That’s a bit behind 2022’s pace of 3% and the prior five-year average of 5% so far.

The 2022/23 winter wheat harvest continued to make headway last week, with 80% completed through Sunday. That’s up from last week’s pace of 68%, and it’s slightly behind 2022’s pace of 81% and the prior five-year average of 83%.

Click here for more highlights from the latest UDSA crop progress report, including a state-by-state look at pasture and rangeland conditions.