About 65 percent of the crop is off, the USDA reports
Farmers in many of the major corn producing states enjoyed almost a full week of days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Oct. 20 and used it to their full advantage.
National corn harvest progress increased by 18 percent over one week, with 65 percent harvested as of the USDA’s Oct. 20 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, compared to 47 percent the week before.
This means farmers have harvested more than 59 million of the 91.5 million total corn acres planted in 2024.
Growers in North Dakota had a big increase in harvest.
Farmers have combined 47 percent of their corn as of Oct. 20 compared to 19 percent last week. This represents an increase of 28 percent over a one-week period.
Overall, farmers in Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina are the furthest along.
Producers in those states have each harvested mor than 90 percent of their respective corn acres, the USDA’s report says.
Pennsylvania farmers have harvested the fewest corn acres as of Oct. 20.
The corn harvest in that state is about 41 percent complete.
Combines continue to roll across U.S. soybean fields too.
U.S. producers are 81 percent through the harvest, up from 67 percent last week, the USDA’s report says.
Producers planted 86.1 million soybean acres, meaning more than 69 million acres of soybean are in the bin.
Farmers in Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin are the furthest along.
Growers in each of those states have combined more than 90 percent of their state soybean acres.
Producers in North Carolina have harvested the fewest soybean acres as of Oct. 20.
Farmers there are 31 percent complete, compared to 20 percent last week.
And winter wheat plants continue to emerge.
About 46 percent of the crop is up, compared to 35 percent last week, according to the USDA’s report.
The winter wheat crops in Nebraska and Washington, both reporting more than 70 percent emergence, are the furthest along.
The winter wheat in California and North Carolina, at 4 and 8 percent emergence, respectively, is the lowest.