The nation’s corn and soybean crops continue to look great according to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report.
In the 18 major corn growing states the crop is rated 73 percent in the good to excellent category, up 1 percent from last week. The remainder of the crop is rated 22 percent fair and 5 percent in the poor to very poor condition.
One year ago, only 56 percent of the corn was rated good to excellent.
Iowa and Illinois both have 75 percent of their crop in the good to excellent category and Nebraska has 76 percent.
The soybean crop is rated at 71 percent in the good to excellent category, 24 percent fair and 5 percent is rated poor to very poor.
One year ago, only 54 percent of the nation’s soybeans were rated good to excellent.
Kentucky’s soybean crop this week is rated at 86 percent good to excellent while Iowa has 83 percent of their crop in that category.
The U.S. cotton and grain sorghum crops are not fairing as well this week.
In the 15 major cotton states, including Oklahoma, 41 percent of the crop is rated good to excellent, 35 percent is fair, and 24 percent is rated poor to very poor.
One year ago, 52 percent of the cotton was rated good to excellent.
The Texas crop appears to be struggling the most as only 21 percent is rated in the good to excellent category, and 36 percent is considered poor to very poor.
In the 6 major grain sorghum states, which includes Oklahoma, 45 percent of the crop is rated good to excellent. Both Texas and Oklahoma have about a quarter of the crop in the poor to very poor category.
The nation’s pasture and range conditions are rated 42 percent good to excellent, a 1-point drop from last week. The remainder of the pasture and range is rated 32 percent fair and 26 percent poor to very poor.
The drought’s impact is really showing up in New Mexico as 68 percent of their pasture and range is considered poor to very poor this week.
Meanwhile, winter wheat harvest is nearing the halfway mark at 41 percent complete, which is right on the 5-year average.
Wheat harvest is 95 percent complete as of June 28, up 31 points from the previous year and up 10 points from normal.
Canola harvested reached 70 percent, up 9 points from the previous year but down 16 points from normal.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay reached 90 percent, down 1 point from the previous year and down 6 points from normal. The second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 54 percent, up 1 point from the previous year but down 5 points from normal. The first cutting of other hay reached 78 percent, up 2 points from the previous year but down 2 points from normal. The second cutting of other hay reached 1 percent, down 4 points from the previous year and down 10 points from normal.
The Oklahoma cotton crop is rated 75 percent good to excellent, 23 percent is fair, and 2 percent is poor to very poor this week.
Unfortunately, there are no acres of grain sorghum rated in the excellent category and only 38 percent is considered good. The remainder of the grain sorghum crop is rated 38 percent fair and 24 percent poor to very poor.
Oklahoma’s pasture and range conditions are rated 40 percent good to excellent, 43 percent fair and 17 percent poor to very poor.
Kansas wheat farmers have harvested 47 percent of their crop, well ahead of last year’s 21 percent, but near 51 percent for the five-year average.
The Kansas corn crop is rated at 53 percent good to excellent, 35 percent fair and 12 percent is poor to very poor.
The Kansas grain sorghum crop is rated 47 percent good to excellent, 44 percent fair and 9 percent is poor to very poor.
The soybean crop is rated 62 percent good to excellent, 31 percent is fair and 7 percent poor to very poor.
Pasture and range conditions in Kansas are rated 45 percent good to excellent, 36 percent fair and 19 percent is poor to very poor.
In Texas the wheat harvest is basically complete at 96 percent, well ahead of the 79 percent mark for the 5-year average on this date.
Many Texas row crops continued to progress in most areas of the state. Corn silage harvest was underway in areas of the Blacklands and the Cross Timbers. Corn damaged by hail was recovering adequately in areas of South East Texas, whereas corn damaged by hail in areas of South Central Texas seemed less likely to recover.
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