In this week’s report, USDA finally reduced the national corn condition rating by three points to land at 61 percent in the combined good to excellent categories. In the I-80 Corridor, Nebraska saw the biggest decline as it dropped by seven points. On the other end of the corridor, Ohio improved by six percentage points. Outside that corridor, we saw some dramatic drops in condition such as Tennessee going down by 10 points just last week, while Colorado and Kansas both slid by eight points each.
The national soybean condition rating declined by two points to 59 percent good to excellent. In the I-80 Corridor, Nebraska fell by six points, but just as in the corn ratings, Ohio improved - in this case by seven points. Outside the corridor, Louisiana reported the biggest drop in condition as it went down by 12 points. Mississippi declined by eight, and Arkansas shaved off seven points from its rating last week.
Cotton condition nationwide came down by another four points this week, landing it at only 34 percent good to excellent. Of the key producing states, Mississippi had the toughest week as it declined by seven percentage points. Texas sagged by another four points, to take it down to only 17 percent of its crop making the good to excellent threshold. The biggest declines in condition were seen in Louisiana and Oklahoma which both went down by 11 points, Arkansas and Kansas both went down by nine, and Tennessee dropped by eight. Interestingly, Mississippi’s neighbor to the east, Alabama, actually improved by six points since a week ago.
Grain sorghum (milo) condition nationwide dropped five points to only 30 percent in the good to excellent categories. The Plains states - where the majority of grain sorghum is grown - took a beating from the drought last week. The Oklahoma rating collapsed by 17 points over the last seven days. Nebraska went down by 11, South Dakota dropped 10, and Kansas sank by nine. Oddly enough, the Texas rating was able to improve by three points, but it still has the lowest rating of all the key producing states with a mere 22 percent in the good to excellent categories.
Rice condition across the nation posted a three point improvement compared to last week - placing it at 75 percent good to excellent. The biggest move was seen in Arkansas which reported an 11 point move to the upside. However, all of the other states held steady or saw declines in condition. Texas and Missouri both reported five percent point declines.
Peanut condition improved another three points nationwide to place it at 70 percent good to excellent this week. The biggest improvement came in Florida which posted a nine point gain while Alabama added four points. On the negative side, South Carolina’s rating came down by seven points since a week ago.
The national spring wheat condition rating went backwards by three points to end up at 68 percent good to excellent. All of the key producing states except Minnesota saw a drop in ratings this week. The biggest loser was Montana which took a seven point nosedive. Idaho, South Dakota, and North Dakota all reported two point losses.
Winter wheat harvest bumped up to 77 percent completion nationwide as of Sunday compared to the five-year average of 80 percent. In the Plains states, everything is done south of Nebraska. Nebraska says it is 84 percent complete with its harvest and South Dakota reports 64 percent completion.
Pasture conditions in the Plains highlighted the rapidly deteriorating conditions in many areas. Oklahoma condition dropped by 10 points amid the incredibly intense heat well over 100 degrees last week. Kansas dropped nine points, South Dakota went down by seven, and Colorado was six points lower. Nebraska, however, became an enigma as it somehow managed to eke out a five percentage point improvement.
In the topsoil moisture deficit category (generally considered to measure the top four inches of soil representing the seed planting and sprouting zone), Arkansas climbed into the top spot with 91 percent of its acres falling into the short to very short categories. Texas improved by four points, but it still came in at second place with 90 percent. Oklahoma saw its moisture availability decline by eight points, so it moved into third place on the list.
In the subsoil moisture deficit category (considered to measure deep soil moisture down to a few feet where the crop roots would extend downward), Texas held on to the top spot with 91 percent of its acres rated short to very short, even though there was a slight three point improvement in moisture availability. Oklahoma’s moisture levels sank by nine points last week, propelling it into second place. Noteworthy improvements in deep soil moisture ratings were seen in Arkansas and Colorado as they gained back eight and 10 points respectively.
