Sep 19, 2019
2019 U.S. Crops remain behind in Development
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
2019 U.S. Corn - The condition of the U.S. corn crop was unchanged last week at 55% rated good to excellent. Any state reporting lower conditions was probably due to several factors including: the crop running out of nitrogen in parts of the northwestern Corn Belt, hotter and dryer conditions in the eastern and southern Corn Belt, and some disease issues. The states that reported improved conditions was due to the warmer temperatures helping to push along the corn development.
The 2019 U.S. corn crop is 68% dented compared to 92% last year and 87% average. The crop is 18% mature compared to 51% last year and 39% average and it is 4% harvested compared to 8% last year and 7% average.
The warmer temperatures are beneficial for the slower developing crops in the eastern Corn Belt, but cooler and cloudy weather last week was probably not beneficial for the corn in the northwestern Corn Belt.
2019 U.S. Soybeans - The condition of the U.S. soybean crop declined 1% last week to 54% rated good to excellent. The decline was due to mainly a drop in the rating for the soybeans in the eastern and southern Corn Belt where it has been generally hotter and dryer the last several weeks. It has also been dry in the mid-South, Delta, and Southeastern U.S., which is not good for the double crop soybeans.
The 2019 U.S. soybean crop is 95% setting pods compared to 100% last year and 100% average. The crop 15% dropping leaves compared to 50% last year and 38% average.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but I continue to be concerned about how slow some of the soybeans are developing. Five percent of the soybeans have not yet started to set pods, which equates to approximately 3.8 million acres. Some of those soybeans are double crop soybeans planted in the more southern locations, which I am not overly concerned about. What I am concerned about is that 9% of the soybeans in Indiana have not set pods, 8% in Michigan, 7% in Illinois, 7% in Ohio, and 6% in South Dakota.
Any soybean plant that has not started to set pods by September 15th has a very low yield potential, if they manage to produce any soybeans at all.