USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

The USDA weekly Crop Progress Report, released Monday, showed soybean condition ratings improving for a second straight week while corn conditions slipped slightly. A cold front is pushing the recent heat wave out, although the relief comes with severe weather in some areas, per DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

Soybeans

  • 66% rated good-to-excellent, up one point from last week and 2 points below last year (68%).
  • The Dakotas showed the largest weekly condition decline to 52% good-to-excellent, with Iowa improving one point to 79%.
  • Blooming at 66% (ahead of both last year and the five-year average of 60%). Pod-setting at 32% (ahead 8% from last year and the five-year average).

Corn

  • 67% rated good-to-excellent, down 1 point from last week and 7 points below last year (74%).
  • North Dakota again led the weekly declines after a hot, dry week, with its good-to-excellent rating falling 10 points to 61%.
  • Silking at 59% (vs. 53% last year, 54% five-year average). Dough stage at 13% (steady with last year).

Winter Wheat

  • Harvest progress moved ahead 7 points to reach 74% complete, 2 points ahead of last year and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 71%.

Spring Wheat

  • 53% rated good-to-excellent, down 5 points from last week’s 58%.
  • 86% of top-producing states headed, up 14 points from last week and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 85%.
  • North Dakota’s good-to-excellent rating fell 7 points from last week to 58%.

Read more report commentary and a look at an upcoming forecast from DTN.