Jul 19, 2016
U.S. Crop Conditions Hold Steady
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the 2016 U.S. corn crop held steady last week at 76% rated good to excellent. Eight states indicated that the corn condition had improved last week, 7 states indicated that the corn condition had declined last week, and 3 states indicated no change. Most of the improvements were found in the central and western Corn Belt while most of the declines were found in eastern Corn Belt. The top five rated corn states are: Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, and Illinois. The five lowest rated corn states are: South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Kansas.
The condition of the U.S. corn crop continues to be better than last year and the long term average. The only major dryness concerns are in the far eastern Corn Belt and in South Dakota in the western Corn Belt. In between those locations, the corn is doing very well. I have been suspicious of the very good crop ratings for corn, but after seeing the corn in the western Corn Belt, I think those high ratings are justified.
Soybeans - The condition of the 2016 U.S. soybean crop held steady at 71% rated good to excellent. Seven states indicated that the soybean condition had improved last week, 5 states indicated that the condition had declined last week, and 6 states indicated that the condition was unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the central and western Corn Belt while most of the declines were found in the eastern and southern locations. The top five rated soybean states are: Wisconsin, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The five lowest rated soybean states are: Arkansas, Michigan, Kansas, South Dakota, and Missouri.
The soybean crop is not quite as good as the corn, but it too continues to be better than last year and the long term average.
Soil Moisture - The nation's topsoil moisture improved last week with 8 states indicating that the soil moisture improved last week and 9 states indicated that the soil moisture declined last week. Most of the improvements were found in central and western Corn Belt while most declines were found in eastern and southern locations. The five states with the best soil moisture are: Minnesota, Kentucky, North Dakota, Illinois, and North Carolina. The five states with the lowest soil moisture are: Ohio, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, and South Dakota.
The nation's soil moisture improved for the second week in a row and it is now better than the long term average. I think the good soil moisture is the reason why the crops have maintained such good condition ratings. The good soil moisture is going to be very important for the crops as the predicted heat moves in later this week.