Jul 30, 2019
U.S. Crop Conditions Unchanged to Slightly Higher
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the 2019 U.S. corn crop improved 1% last week to 58% rated good to excellent. Five states indicated that the corn condition improved last week while 9 states indicated that the corn condition declined last week and 4 states were unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the central Corn Belt while most of the declines were found in the eastern and western Corn Belt. The top five rated corn states are: Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas. The five lowest rated corn states are: North Carolina, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, and Michigan.
The corn condition increasing 1 point one week and declining 1 point the next week does not change the overall big picture. The corn is rated mediocre at best, it is very late in its development, approximately 40% of the corn will pollinate in August, and there is an increased risk that some of the corn will not maturing before frost.
Soybeans - The condition of the 2019 U.S. soybean crop was unchanged last week at 54% rated good to excellent. Seven states indicated that the soybean condition improved last week while 7 states indicated that the soybean condition declined last week and 4 states were unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the southern locations while most of the declines were found in the central and eastern locations. The top five rated soybean states are: Tennessee, Nebraska, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Mississippi. The five lowest rated soybean states are: Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois.
The soybeans are in even worse shape than the corn. The soybeans continue to be very delayed in their development and a significant portion of the soybeans are essentially double crop soybeans this year.
Soil Moisture - The nation's topsoil dried out again last week with only North Carolina indicating that the soil moisture improved last week while 17 states indicating that the soil moisture declined last week. The decline in soil moisture encompassed the entire Corn Belt. The five wettest states are: South Dakota, Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. The five driest states are: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and North Carolina.
There was a dramatic dry down of the soil moisture last week with every state in the Corn Belt reporting lower soil moisture. The soil moisture is now average for this time of the year and I think it will continue to decline next week as well. This is not a good development for the latest planted crops.