RFD-TV Weekly Crop Progress & Livestock Production Update

NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — U.S. harvest activity is accelerating, but the agricultural picture remains divided between strong crop movement and persistent forage, moisture, and input-cost pressure.

USDA’s latest available weekly figures show 51% of U.S. pasture and range rated poor or very poor, while diesel averaged a record $6.285 per gallon on September 14. August feedlot placements also fell 9% from a year earlier to the lowest August total since USDA’s current series began in 1996.

Great Plains

Kansas: Corn harvest had reached 29% by September 13, well ahead of the five-year average, while 75% of corn was mature. Recent rain improved parts of eastern Kansas, but 66% of topsoil remained short or very short and 40% of pasture and range rated poor or very poor, keeping forage concerns elevated.
Nebraska: Corn harvest was just beginning at 3%, while soybeans had not yet registered meaningful harvest progress. Rain helped eastern Nebraska, but statewide pasture conditions remained stressed, with 59% poor or very poor and subsoil moisture short or very short across 61% of cropland.
North Dakota: Spring wheat harvest reached 92%, ahead of the five-year average, while soybean maturity advanced rapidly. Livestock producers still faced forage pressure, with 47% of pasture and range rated poor or very poor and 60% of subsoil moisture short or very short.
South Dakota: Spring wheat harvest was complete, and corn harvest had started, while 48% of soybeans were dropping leaves. Dryness remained the bigger livestock issue: 63% of pasture and range was poor or very poor and three-quarters of topsoil moisture was short or very short.
Oklahoma: Sorghum harvest reached 36%, far ahead of the five-year pace, while peanuts were just beginning to come out of the field. Drought remained severe for cattle and forage operations, with 64% of pasture and range poor or very poor and 80% of topsoil moisture short or very short.
Texas: Corn harvest reached 73%, sorghum 75%, and cotton 21%, keeping combines and trucks active across major production regions. At the same time, 58% of pasture and range rated poor or very poor, and 85% of topsoil moisture was short or very short; USDA also issued new drought disaster designations for additional Texas counties during the week.

Midwest

Iowa: Corn maturity reached 38%, while harvest was just starting. Heavy rainfall improved moisture supplies, but fieldwork slowed to 4.5 suitable days; the state is allowing agricultural trucks up to 90,000 pounds on non-interstate routes through October 10 to help move grain, fertilizer, manure, hay, and other harvest loads.
Illinois: Corn harvest reached 8%, double the five-year average, while soybean harvest reached 4%. Moisture remained generally adequate, but nearly one-fifth of pasture and range rated poor or very poor as harvest pressure begins to build.
Indiana: Corn maturity reached 32%, and soybean leaf drop 43%, with harvest beginning slowly. Soil moisture remained comparatively favorable, supporting late crop development and livestock forage as producers prepare for a broader harvest push.
Missouri: Corn harvest advanced to 23%, well ahead of the normal 13%, while soybean harvest reached 3%. Rainfall improved parts of northwest Missouri, though pasture quality remained mixed and one-quarter of pasture acreage still rated poor or very poor.
Ohio: Wet conditions slowed fieldwork to 4.6 days, but corn maturity reached 22% and soybean leaf drop 24%. Recent rain strengthened moisture supplies, with 96% of topsoil rated adequate or surplus and pasture conditions generally favorable.

Delta & South

Arkansas: Rice harvest reached 67%, and soybean harvest 35%, both well ahead of normal, making harvest logistics the dominant issue. Dryness remains severe beneath the surface, with 80% of topsoil short or very short and 68% of pasture and range poor or very poor.
Louisiana: Rice harvest reached 95%, and soybean harvest 59%, putting much of the state deep into fall fieldwork. Gulf Coast rainfall helped some areas, but soil moisture remained uneven, and pasture conditions were mostly fair to good rather than abundant.
Mississippi: Soybean harvest reached 50% and rice harvest 65%, both ahead of average. Despite harvest progress, 67% of topsoil remained short or very short and nearly three in ten pasture acres rated poor or very poor.
Alabama: Cotton bolls were 56% open, and peanut harvest reached 3%. Pasture conditions were considerably stronger than many neighboring states, with 74% rated good or excellent, while soil moisture was mostly adequate.
Georgia: Cotton bolls were 55% open and peanut harvest was beginning. Pasture and moisture conditions remained more stressed, with 30% of pasture rated poor or very poor and 52% of topsoil short or very short.
Florida: Peanut harvest reached 8%, slightly behind the five-year average. Recent Gulf Coast rainfall improved moisture substantially, with 91% of topsoil adequate or surplus, although pasture conditions remained mixed for cattle producers.
Kentucky: Corn harvest reached 32%, well ahead of the normal 21%, while soybean harvest climbed to 17%. Pasture conditions were mostly fair to good, though short topsoil moisture remained widespread enough to matter for fall forage and winter wheat preparation.
Tennessee: Corn harvest reached 44% and soybean harvest 26%, both substantially ahead of average. The crop pace contrasts with pasture stress, where 26% rated poor or very poor, and two-thirds of topsoil moisture was short or very short.
North Carolina: Corn harvest reached 54%, but crop quality remained weak, with more than half of corn rated poor or very poor. Peanut and soybean conditions were stronger, while short soil moisture continued to limit forage and late-season crop potential.
South Carolina: Cotton bolls were 48% open and peanut harvest had begun. Pasture stress remained substantial, with 40% poor or very poor and more than 60% of topsoil moisture short or very short.
Virginia: Cotton bolls were 60% open, ahead of the five-year average, while peanut harvest had not yet meaningfully started. Pasture conditions were mixed, and 47% of topsoil moisture remained short or very short, maintaining pressure on forage supplies.

West & Southwest

Arizona: Cotton harvest had already reached 37%, far ahead of normal, and crop condition remained exceptionally strong. Rangeland told a different story, with 59% rated poor or very poor despite some monsoonal rainfall near the New Mexico border.
California: Rice harvest reached 10%, and cotton remained mostly unharvested, though condition ratings were strong. California also moved closer to wider E15 availability after legislation addressing remaining retail equipment barriers was signed, creating a potential additional outlet for ethanol and corn demand.
Colorado: Corn maturity lagged normal, and pasture conditions remained stressed, with half rated poor or very poor. Soil moisture was also limited, with 82% of topsoil short or very short, keeping livestock forage and winter wheat establishment in focus.
Nevada: Seven fieldwork days allowed uninterrupted hay and livestock activity, but moisture remained scarce. Eighty-five percent of topsoil was short or very short and 40% of pasture and range rated poor or very poor.
New Mexico: Dryness remained severe, with 85% of topsoil and 89% of subsoil short or very short and 55% of pasture rated poor or very poor. Livestock trade is also in focus as USDA advances its phased plan to restore Mexican cattle movement through southern New Mexico under enhanced New World screwworm safeguards.
Utah: Pasture conditions continued to deteriorate, with 65% rated poor or very poor. Nearly 60% of topsoil was short or very short, increasing supplemental feed and water concerns heading into fall livestock movement.

Northwest & Northern Rockies

Idaho: Spring wheat harvest reached 96% and barley 98%, putting small-grain harvest close to completion. Pasture remained much weaker, with half rated poor or very poor as growers shift attention toward sugarbeets, potatoes, and fall field preparation.
Montana: Spring wheat harvest reached 88% and barley 91%, both near completion. Livestock conditions remained difficult: 58% of pasture and range rated poor or very poor, and 83% of subsoil moisture was short or very short.
Oregon: Winter wheat planting reached 9%, matching the five-year average. Dry soil and forage conditions remained a concern, with nearly three-quarters of topsoil short or very short and one-third of pasture rated poor or very poor.
Washington: Spring wheat and barley harvests were 96% and 97% complete, respectively, while winter wheat planting reached 33%. Pasture conditions were better than most of the interior West, although more than half of topsoil moisture remained short or very short.
Wyoming: Range and forage conditions were among the weakest nationally, with 63% rated poor or very poor. Topsoil moisture was 86% short or very short, increasing pressure on cattle operators as grazing seasons wind down.

Northeast

Connecticut: Moisture supplies remained favorable, with 90% of topsoil rated adequate and pasture conditions entirely fair to good. Six suitable fieldwork days supported vegetable, fruit, hay, and silage activity.
Delaware: Soil moisture was mostly adequate, but pasture remained stressed, with 47% rated poor or very poor. Dry pockets could still influence hay supplies and late-season specialty crops despite generally open field conditions.
Maine: Six suitable fieldwork days supported potato, vegetable, forage, and fruit harvest activity. Moisture remained limited, however, with nearly 60% of topsoil short or very short and 15% of pasture poor or very poor.
Maryland: Topsoil moisture was overwhelmingly adequate following wetter weather, though deeper moisture remained more variable. Pasture was mostly fair to good as grain, vegetable, and forage producers continued fall fieldwork.
Massachusetts: Topsoil moisture was adequate or surplus statewide and pasture conditions remained favorable. Fieldwork continued around apples, vegetables, hay, and other specialty crops without broad moisture stress.
New Hampshire: Pasture was rated entirely fair to good and topsoil moisture was mostly adequate. Fall fruit, vegetable, and forage work continued with relatively few weather interruptions.
New Jersey: Pasture remained mostly good, but dry pockets persisted with about one-quarter of topsoil short or very short. Vegetable and fruit operations continued fall harvest while livestock producers retained comparatively favorable forage.
New York: Moisture conditions were strong, with 98% of topsoil adequate or surplus and pasture largely good. Corn silage, dairy forage, apples, vegetables, and other fall crops moved toward harvest under mostly favorable conditions.
Pennsylvania: Recent heavy rainfall pushed topsoil moisture to 93% adequate or surplus. Pasture was also strong, with 83% good or excellent, although wet ground could slow some field operations.
Rhode Island: Topsoil moisture was fully adequate and pasture entirely fair to good. Specialty crop and forage producers continued fall harvest with no broad drought signal evident in USDA’s weekly ratings.
Vermont: Wet conditions sharply limited fieldwork to three days, while topsoil was reported short despite deeper moisture remaining somewhat better. Hay, forage, dairy feed harvest, and fall field preparation faced uneven conditions.
West Virginia: Recent rainfall left 83% of topsoil adequate or surplus but cut suitable fieldwork to 4.4 days. Pasture remained mixed, with roughly one-quarter poor or very poor, making late hay and grazing quality variable.

Upper Midwest & Great Lakes

Michigan: Corn development continued to lag normal, but soybean leaf drop reached 37%. Soil moisture was generally favorable, and pasture conditions were stronger than much of the western Corn Belt, supporting dairy and livestock forage supplies.
Minnesota: Corn maturity reached 46%, well ahead of normal, while small-grain harvest was nearly finished. Livestock producers faced a much tougher forage picture, with 53% of pasture and range poor or very poor and more than half of soil moisture short or very short.
Wisconsin: Corn development was near normal, and soybean leaf drop was ahead of the usual pace. Drought remained an agricultural concern, with USDA offering disaster assistance after impacts to crops, land, water supplies, and livestock; 22% of pasture was rated poor or very poor in the latest weekly data.

Far North, Hawaii & U.S. Territories

Alaska: Commercial salmon activity continued into the latter part of the season. The Copper River district shifted to coho management, while Southeast fisheries reported above-average coho harvest in some areas, keeping fisheries important to rural coastal income as the season winds down.
Hawaii: Agricultural water supplies remain an important operational issue following September tropical systems. The Waimānalo irrigation reservoir stood at 47.25 feet on September 18, up modestly from early September, while the state continued recovery activity following recent tropical cyclones.
Puerto Rico: Heavy rain improved drought conditions in some areas, but extreme drought remained in northeastern Puerto Rico and along parts of the central-to-southern coast. Additional rainfall is still needed for water supplies, pasture, coffee, plantains, and other agricultural production, while producers also face a September 30 deadline for USDA supplemental disaster relief applications.