Sep 17, 2024
2024 U.S. Corn Up 1% to 65% Gd/Ex, Soy Down 1% to 64%
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the 2024 U.S. corn crop improved 1% to 65% rated good/excellent. Ten states indicated that the corn condition improved last week, 7 states indicated that the corn condition declined last week, and 1 was unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the northern and southern areas while most of the declines were found in the eastern and western areas. The top five rated corn states are: Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and a tie between Nebraska and Michigan. The five lowest rated corn states are: North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Ohio.
The recent hot and dry weather is a mixed bag for the corn crop. It is pushing along the development of the later maturing corn in the northwestern Corn Belt, which is good, but it may also be impacting the kernel size and kernel weight especially at the tip of the ear for corn in the central Corn Belt, which may trim the yield.
Soybeans - The condition of the 2024 U.S. soybean crop declined 1% to 64% rated good/excellent. Three states indicated that the soybean condition improved last week, 12 states indicated that the soybean condition declined last week, and 3 were unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the central areas while most of the declines were found in the eastern and northern areas. The top five rated soybean states are: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and Louisiana. The five lowest rated soybean states are: Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, and Michigan.
The recent hot and dry weather is not encouraging for pod filling, especially at the top of the plant and it could result in smaller and lighter seeds.
Soil Moisture - The nation's topsoil moisture declined last week with 5 states indicating improved soil moisture and 13 states indicating lower soil moisture. The improvements were found in the southern areas while the declines were found across the Midwest. The five states with the highest soil moisture are: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Minnesota, and North Carolina. The five states with the lowest soil moisture are: Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, and Michigan.
Last week was another week of dry weather and the soil moisture declined for the nineth of the last ten weeks and it will probably decline again this week. The soil moisture is now below the long-term average and it is turning out to be a very dry end to the growing season.