For our initial Crop Progress & Condition report for 2023, USDA shows corn planting progress nationwide at two percent complete. While no planting was reported yet in the I-80 Corridor, the report does show Texas at 57 percent planted as of Sunday which would be three points ahead of its five-year average. Kentucky has two percent of its corn crop planted while Kansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee make an appearance with one percent in the ground.
Cotton planting is now four percent done nationally, but of the top five producing states, only Texas registers on the list with seven percent of its crop now in the ground - right in line with its five-year average. The only other state to report cotton planting activity is Arizona which also has seven percent planted.
Grain sorghum planting is 13 percent complete across the US, but the only active planting is, of course, in the South where Texas checks in with 46 percent of its crop in the ground which is one point ahead of schedule. None of the other Plains states have started planting yet.
Winter wheat condition nationwide comes in at 28 percent in the combined good to excellent categories. Hard to believe, but that is two points LOWER than last year’s rating at this time, and that crop got off to a dismal start. In the Plains, Oklahoma has the highest good to excellent rating of 26 percent while neighboring Kansas has the lowest rating of only 16 percent.
In the topsoil moisture deficit report, we basically picked up where we left off last year with Kansas reporting 73 percent of its acreage in the short to very short categories. Texas is close behind with 72 percent.
In the subsoil moisture deficit report, New Mexico leads the pack with 84 percent of its acres falling in the short to very short categories. Kansas comes in second with 80 percent.
USDA Crop Progress 230403.pdf
