Winter Wheat Conditions Slip, Corn Planting Gets Underway — USDA

In its first weekly Crop Progress report of 2021, USDA-NASS on Monday pegged U.S. corn planting at 2% complete, while farmers have 6% of the cotton crop in the ground. Both are at or near the previous average pace. The most attention-grabbing data in the report was winter wheat conditions; though the crop in Kansas is in better condition than it was a year ago at this time based on some timely rains in recent weeks, the nation’s crop is lagging 2020, quality-wise with 53% in good-to-excellent condition compared to 62% at this time a year ago. Another big number in Monday’s report: 65% of the nation’s topsoil was rated with adequate or surplus topsoil moisture while the same is true for 64% of the nation as it relates to subsoil moisture. Both numbers are 27% lower than a year ago. See more from Monday’s report.