As expected, corn condition nationwide did decline due to the continuing drought in the Midwest. The good to excellent rating went down by six points to now stand at 55 percent. In the I-80 Corridor, huge drops were seen in Illinois and Iowa as those two states dropped by 12 and 11 points respectively. The Dakotas also saw declines of over 10 percent. Interestingly, Ohio actually saw a four-point improvement from last week.
The national soybean condition ratings came down by five percentage points to where they are now at 54 percent good to excellent. In the I-80 Corridor, Ohio reversed its drop from last week to show a significant six point rebound this week. But, just as in the corn, Illinois posted a big drop of 14 points and Iowa went down by 10. The Dakotas also showed 11-point declines in each of their condition ratings.
Cotton condition ratings nationwide came down by another two points this week, dropping to 47 percent good to excellent. The largest drop in condition was seen in Georgia where the rating sank by 8 points while Alabama went down by five. On the other hand, North Carolina reported a five-point improvement. The largest cotton producing state of Texas maintained its low rating of 30 percent good to excellent - the same as last week.
Spring wheat condition took a big hit this week as the national good to excellent rating declined by nine percentage points to land at 51 percent. That means roughly half of the national spring wheat crop is rated as only fair to very poor. South Dakota was hit the hardest as its rating declined by 15 points and North Dakota lost 12 points. Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, Washington state reported a four-point improvement.
Winter wheat harvest made decent progress last week as it moved up to 15 percent nationwide, which is still five points behind the five-year average pace. In the Plains states, Texas has reached 62 percent completion - right in line with its average. Oklahoma moved up to 40 percent, but still lags its average by 14 points. Heavy rains are sure to be causing significant delays. Kansas harvest stands at eight percent - only half of what it normally would have out of the field by now.
Pasture conditions were all over the place again this week. In the Plains, Kansas came up by eight points in its good to excellent rating. Nebraska improved by two points. But, South Dakota declined by nine points. In the far northern Plains, North Dakota sank by 15 percentage points. However, to the west, neighboring Montana showed a 13-point improvement!
In the topsoil moisture deficit report (generally considered to measure the top four inches of soil representing the seed planting and sprouting zone), Michigan still holds the top spot with 89 percent of its acres considered to be short to very short on moisture even though it improved by two points. But, Illinois roared into the second spot as its topsoil rating declined by 14 points since last week. Iowa showed a 10 percent decrease in its moisture availability.
In the subsoil moisture deficit report (considered to measure deep soil moisture down to a few feet where the crop roots would extend downward), Michigan leads again with 89 percent of its acres meeting the short to very short criteria on moisture. Just as in the topsoil section, Illinois went backwards by 15 points to land in the second driest spot. Missouri saw its deficit rating increase by five points and Nebraska’s rating is six points worse than a week ago.
USDA Crop Progress 230620.pdf
