National corn condition ratings dropped one more point in the good to excellent ratings this week, ending up at 52 percent as the crop makes its way rapidly toward maturity. In the critical I-80 Corridor, the biggest move this week was Iowa sliding by three points. On the other extreme, Ohio improved by two points. Outside the Corridor, South Dakota slipped three points lower, but North Dakota added two points.
USDA published its first corn harvest update this week and it showed that five percent of the nation’s crop is already in the bin - slightly ahead of the five-year average by one point. In the I-80 Corridor, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois all reported that they are just getting a good start with two percent of their crop harvested.
The national soybean condition rating fell by a single point down to 52 percent good to excellent. In the I-80 Corridor, Iowa posted a sizable five-point decline while Nebraska, Indiana, and Ohio all dropped by one point. Outside the Corridor, North Dakota showed a four-point improvement, but South Dakota sank by three and Minnesota dropped two points.
Cotton condition ratings nationwide came down two more points this week to land at 29 percent in the good to excellent categories. Among the top five producing states, Alabama reported the biggest drop of eight points while Georgia and Mississippi both posted four-point declines. The largest producing state of Texas went backwards yet again by two more points so that it only rates a paltry nine percent in the combined good to excellent rating. Nearly two thirds of the Texas crop is considered poor to very poor. Texas harvest has already moved into the central part of the state, so any moisture received at this point will have little, if any, beneficial impact.
The national grain sorghum condition rating held steady at 44 percent good to excellent. Nebraska capitalized on some recent showers and cooler weather to post an eight-point gain. However, Kansas went the other direction and lost three points. To the north, South Dakota came in with a six-point improvement.
The national grain sorghum harvest update shows only slight progress with 21 percent of the nation’s crop now in the bin compared to the five-year average of 22 percent. The largest producing state of Texas is now at 71 percent completion. Oklahoma jumped to five percent completion and Kansas bumped up to four percent this week.
Spring wheat harvest is coming down the home stretch with 87 percent completion nationwide - having caught up with its five-year average. The only states that aren’t at 90 percent or better are North Dakota which stands at 82 percent and Idaho which trails its five-year average significantly at only 76 percent. (Note: This will be the last update for us on the spring wheat harvest for this year.)
Pasture conditions in the central and northern Plains saw significant declines with South Dakota tumbling 10 points since last week in the good to excellent categories. Nebraska came down by seven and Kansas dropped by three. In the Rockies and the Southwest, New Mexico reported that its pastureland plummeted by 11 points. Wyoming skidded by seven while Montana and Colorado both dropped by four.
In the topsoil moisture deficit report (generally considered to measure the top four inches of soil representing the seed planting and sprouting zone), Texas continues to keep a lock on the top spot with 89 percent of its acres short to very short on moisture despite a six-percentage point improvement since a week ago. New Mexico moves into second place with 87 percent.
In the subsoil moisture deficit report (considered to measure deep soil moisture down to a few feet where the crop roots would extend downward), New Mexico moved into the driest spot with 87 percent of its acres classified as short to very short. Texas had a meager improvement of one point, so it slipped to second place on the list.
Crop Progress - RFD TABLES - 230911.pdf
