Sep 12, 2017
U.S. Corn Condition Unchanged, Soybean Condition down 1%
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the 2017 U.S. corn crop held steady last week at 61% rated good to excellent. Nine states indicated that the corn condition had improved last week and 8 states indicated that the corn condition had declined last week with 1 state unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the western Corn Belt while most of the declines were found in the central Corn Belt. The top five rated corn states are: Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas, and Kentucky. The five lowest rated corn states are: South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, and Kansas.
The corn condition remained a little above the long term average with the cool temperatures continuing to keep the corn development slower than average.
Soybeans - The condition of the 2017 U.S. soybean crop declined 1% last week to 60% rated good to excellent. Five states indicated that the soybean condition had improved last week while 12 states indicated that the soybean condition had declined last week with 1 state unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the eastern Corn Belt while most of the declines were found throughout the remainder of the Corn Belt. The top five rated soybean states are: Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The five lowest rated soybean states are: North Dakota, Kansas, South Dakota, Michigan, and Indiana.
Twelve of the 18 states indicated a lower soybean condition which was not a surprise given the recent dry weather.
Soil Moisture - The nation's soil moisture declined slightly last week with 4 states indicating improved soil moisture while 13 states indicating lower soil moisture. Most of the improvements were found in the eastern Corn Belt while most of the declines were found throughout the Corn Belt. The five states with the highest soil moisture are: Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The five states with the lowest soil moisture are: North Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and South Dakota.
There was limited rainfall across the Corn Belt last week and as expected the soil moisture declined in the majority of the states. Thirteen of the 18 major states indicated that the soil moisture dried out last week. This late summer dryness is probably more important for the soybeans than for the corn.