About 6 percent of the crop has started dropping leaves, a USDA report says
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Soybean plants across the U.S. have started dropping leaves.
Leaves have dropped on about 6 percent of the total crop, the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin for the week ending Aug. 25 says.
American soybean farmers planted about 86.1 million acres of soybeans in 2024, meaning around plants across more than 5.16 million acres have dropped their leaves.
To put that number into context, soybean farmers in Colorado planted about 5.8 million acres of soybeans in 2024.
Of the top 18 soybean-producing states in the country, Louisiana leads in the dropped leaves progress.
About 40 percent of soybean plants in the state have dropped leaves. And 69 per cent of the state’s soybean crop is rated as good, the USDA’s report indicates.
The Dakotas each report 1 percent of soybeans dropping leaves with Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin reporting no leaves dropped on soybean plants as of the Aug. 25 report.
Spring wheat harvest continues across the U.S.
About 51 percent of the 11.3 million total spring wheat acres, or approximately 5.76 million acres, is harvested and in the bin.
For context, North Dakota farmers planted about 5.6 million acres of spring wheat this year.
In terms of spring wheat harvest progress, farmers in South Dakota lead the way.
About 83 percent of the state’s crop is harvested, the USDA report says. And 77 percent of the crop is rates as good.
The next closest is Washington State.
Farmers there have combined 75 percent of their spring wheat acres.
And the U.S. corn crop continues to mature.
About 11 percent of the country’s 91 million acres – or just over 10 million acres, is mature, the USDA reports. That’s close to the 10.9 million corn acres Illinois farmers planted in 2024.
Corn in Texas leads the way in terms of maturity.
About 75 percent of the state’s corn acres are mature, the USDA says. That’s up from 68 percent the week before. And 33 percent of the state’s corn is rated as good.
Only four states, Colorado, Missouri and the Dakotas don’t have any mature corn according to the USDA’s report.