National corn condition ratings gained back the two points they lost last week in the good to excellent ratings as they pushed back up to 57 percent. In the key I-80 Corridor states, Illinois regained A LOT of ground as it improved by nine points since last week thanks to plentiful rainfall and cooler weather. The bookends of the Corridor, Nebraska and Ohio, both picked up four points. South and North Dakota also saw significant improvements of five and four percent respectively while Minnesota, on the other hand, went backwards by four points.
The national soybean condition rating also regained the two points that it had dropped last week, moving back to 54 percent good to excellent. Here again in the I-80 Corridor, Illinois stood out with a HUGE improvement of twelve points. Ohio picked up four points, but Iowa slid by two. In the northern Plains, South Dakota gained four points since a week ago while North Dakota and Minnesota saw slight declines.
Cotton condition ratings nationwide held steady at 41 percent good to excellent. Only minor changes were seen in the key producing states with Mississippi and North Carolina both trimming their ratings by one single point.
The national grain sorghum condition rating improved by a couple of points to land at 57 percent in the good to excellent categories. The largest producing state of Texas saw an eight-point rebound but neighboring Oklahoma reported a steep decline of 15 percentage points. Up north, South Dakota said its crop rating went up by seven points.
Spring wheat condition nationally came down by a single percentage point to end up at 41 percent good to excellent. Harvest activity is ramping up, so these ratings will mean less and less as we move forward in time as most of the crop reaches maturity. Montana and South Dakota both reported four-point improvements this week. On the other hand, Washington state dropped by nine points and Minnesota sagged by seven.
Spring wheat harvest made healthy progress last week and has reached 11 percent completion - only three points behind the five-year average. South Dakota has made the most significant progress so far with 38 percent of its crop now out of the field. Montana is next with 22 percent which is actually seven points ahead of its average pace.
Pasture conditions were mixed in the Plains and Rockies states. In the Plains cattle producing areas, Nebraska posted a two-point gain in its good to excellent rating, but Oklahoma reported a nine-point drop while Texas saw a two-point decline. Meanwhile, Colorado and Montana reported eight and five-point gains respectively while North Dakota’s rating slid six points lower and New Mexico saw its rating go down by five.
In the topsoil moisture deficit report (generally considered to measure the top four inches of soil representing the seed planting and sprouting zone), Washington state again maintains the top spot of the driest states with 89 percent in the short to very short categories. Texas went backwards by another five points and now shows 88 percent of its acres in the moisture deficit categories.
In the subsoil moisture deficit report (considered to measure deep soil moisture down to a few feet where the crop roots would extend downward), Texas takes over the driest position with 81 percent of its cropland in the short to very short categories. Washington state is second with 79 percent and New Mexico holds down the third driest spot with 77 percent.
USDA Crop Progress 230807.pdf
