While many analysts polled by wire services today didn’t expect corn and soybean ratings to improve, a week of warm and wet weather were pretty much ideal for crops. Ratings for both crops improved as week expected, confirming farmer observations reported in our Feedback From The Field feature.

The percentage of corn fields rated good or excellent increased 1% to 75%, with gains noted across most of the central Corn Belt. Ohio was the only state in the heart of the Midwest to show a decline as a third of the crop reached pollination under mostly ideal conditions.

The percentage of soybeans rated good to excellent gained 1% to 71%, enough to add a third of a bushel to yield potential. (Photo: yelena yemchuk/Thinkstock)

Yield potential according to our ratings-based models improved more than a bushel per acre average, with the midpoint of the forecasts rising to 173.9 bpa in a range from 172.4 to 175.4 bpa.

Soybean ratings followed a similar trajectory, with even more states showing improvement this week. The percentage of the crop rated good to excellent gained 1% to 71%, enough to add a third of a bushel to yield potential. The average projected yield if ratings hold until harvest is 48.7 bpa, in a range from 47.8 to 49.7 bpa.

USDA reported 40% of the crop blooming, 9% higher than average, with 7% setting pods.

Spring wheat ratings slipped for the fourth straight week across the northern Plains. But after a very strong start to the season, that still leaves yield potential excellent, with the average of our models at 49.8 bpa, in a range from 48.8 to 50.9 bpa.

USDA said 91% of the crop is headed, up from 64% on average, with 70% of the nation’s fields still in good to excellent condition.

Winter wheat harvest made decent progress to the south, with 66% cut, up 1% from the five-year average.

Related: July 5, 2016 - USDA: Corn holds at 75% good/excellent; soybeans slip to 70%

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