Farmers across the country have started harvesting a once promising crop that has deteriorated in the past 30 days according to the latest USDA crop progress report.
Major crops now being harvested include corn, grain sorghum and cotton.
Texas has the most harvested corn acres at 67 percent complete. North Carolina is 47 percent harvested, Kentucky is at 13 percent and Tennessee has 12 percent of their corn harvested.
The remainder of the corn crop is rated at 60 percent good to excellent, down from 71 percent at this time in August. The balance of the corn acres is rated 25 percent fair and 15 percent poor to very poor.
Soybean harvest has not started yet as only about 37 percent of the crop has dropped leaves, 6 points ahead of the 5-year average.
The U.S. soybean crop is rated 63 percent good to excellent, down about 10 points from a month ago. The balance of the crop is rated 26 percent fair and 11 percent poor to very poor.
Approximately 6 percent of the cotton acres have been harvested, mostly in Texas and Arizona, with some harvested in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Overall, the cotton crop is rated 45 percent good to excellent, same as last week and about the same as one month ago. The remainder of the cotton crop is rated 28 percent fair and 27 percent poor to very poor.
Farmers have harvest about 23 percent of the grain sorghum in the six major producing states. Texas has 77 percent of their acres completed and farmers in all the other states except South Dakota have begun harvesting grain sorghum.
Pasture and range conditions continue to show drought stress and only 24 percent is rated good to excellent this week. The balance is rated 34 percent fair and 42 percent poor to very poor.
A new category showing up on the crop progress report recently is the number of acres of winter wheat planted which now stands at 10 percent complete, 2 point ahead of the normal 5-year average.
To view the U.S. Crop Progress Report, click here.
For Oklahoma, winter wheat planted reached 6 percent, up 1 point from the previous year and up 1 point from normal.
Corn dented reached 80 percent, up 15 points from the previous year but down 2 points from normal. Oklahoma corn mature reached 53 percent, up 21 points from the previous year and up 5 points from normal.
Corn harvested reached 4 percent, down 7 points from the previous year and down 10 points from normal.
The Oklahoma corn crop is rated 71 percent good to excellent, 25 percent fair and 4 percent poor.
Oklahoma grain sorghum coloring reached 73 percent, up 9 points from the previous year but down 2 points from normal.
Sorghum mature reached 27 percent, down 5 points from the previous year and down 9 points from normal.
Oklahoma farmers have harvested 2 percent of the grain sorghum, down 3 points from the previous year and down 10 points from normal.
The grain sorghum crop is rated 29 percent good to excellent, 38 percent fair and 33 percent poor to very poor.
Soybeans dropping leaves reached 19 percent, up 16 points from the previous year and up 8 points from normal.
The Oklahoma soybean crop is rated 76 percent good to excellent, 17 percent fair and 7 percent poor to very poor.
Cotton bolls opening reached 35 percent, down 10 points from the previous year but up 1 point from normal.
The Oklahoma cotton crop is rated 36 percent good to excellent, 56 percent fair and 8 percent poor to very poor.
The fourth cutting of alfalfa hay reached 76 percent, up 7 points from the previous year and up 15 points from normal.
The fifth cutting of alfalfa hay reached 1 percent, up 1 point from the previous year and up 1 point from normal.
The second cutting of other hay reached 80 percent, down 2 points from the previous year but unchanged from normal.
The third cutting of other hay reached 25 percent, up 3 points from the previous year and up 2 points from normal.
Oklahoma pasture and range conditions are rated 43 percent good to excellent, 33 percent fair and 24 percent poor to very poor.
To view the Oklahoma crop progress report, click here.
For Kansas, winter wheat acres planted was 2 percent, near 5 percent for both last year and the five-year average.
Corn condition rated at 54 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 18 percent poor to very poor.
Approximately 49 percent of the Kansas corn crop is mature, ahead of 39 percent last year, but near 50 percent average.
Kansas farmers have harvested 8 percent of the corn acres, equal to last year, and near 11 percent average.
Kansas soybean crop condition is rated 51 percent good to excellent, 34 percent fair and 15 percent poor to very poor.
Dropping leaves was 32 percent, well ahead of 11 percent last year, and ahead of the 19 percent average.
Kansas grain sorghum condition is rated 62 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 10 percent poor to very poor.
Grain sorghum maturity was 17 percent, ahead of 7 percent last year, and near 16 percent average. Kansas farmers have harvested about 1 percent of the grain sorghum, equal to last year, and near 2 percent average.
Cotton condition rated 48 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair and 13 percent poor to very poor. Cotton bolls opening was 26 percent, ahead of 15 percent last year, and near 23 percent average.
Kansas pasture and range conditions rated 42 percent good to excellent, 37 percent fair and 21 percent poor to very poor.
To view the Kansas crop progress report, click here.
Across the state of Texas, producers made preparations to seed, had begun seeding, or were waiting for fields to dry to begin seeding small grain crops.
Approximately 7 percent of the winter wheat acres have been planted this week, about the same as the 5-year average.
Texas corn harvest was virtually completed in the Blacklands and South Texas regions.
Meanwhile, producers in areas of the High Plains finished up final irrigation applications in anticipation of harvest beginning soon.
The Texas corn crop is rated 42 percent good to excellent, 39 percent fair and 19 percent poor to very poor.
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