Jul 24, 2018
U.S. Corn Condition Steady, Soybean Condition Improves
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the U.S. corn crop remained unchanged last week at 72% rated good to excellent. Ten states indicated that the corn condition had improved last week, 7 states indicated that the condition had declined last week, and 1 state 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 areas. The top five rated corn stares are: North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois. The five lowest rated corn states are: North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan.
The rains last week and cooler temperatures helped to stabilize the corn crop. There was a one point swing from good to excellent, which actually resulted in a slight improvement of the crop.
Soybeans - The condition of the U.S. soybean crop improved 1% last week to 70% rated good to excellent. Eleven states indicated that the soybean condition had improved last week, 6 states indicated that the soybean condition had declined last week, and 1 state was unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the central and western Corn Belt and the Delta, while most of the declines were found in the eastern and southern areas. The top five rated soybean states are: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Illinois, and North Dakota. The five lowest rated soybean states are: North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Louisiana.
In a bit of a surprise, the soybean condition actually improved last week also due to the rainfall and cooler temperatures. So, after declining for four weeks in a row, the conditions ticked up last week.
Soil Moisture - The nation's soil moisture improved last week with 11 state indicating that the soil moisture improved, 6 states indicating that the soil moisture declined last week, and 1 state was unchanged. The improvements were found in eastern and western Corn Belt while the declines were found in the central and southern areas. The five states with the best soil moisture are: Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The five states with the driest soils are: Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, North Carolina, and Kansas.
The rainfall last week and especially over the weekend was enough to improve the nation's soil moisture. The forecast for the remainder of July looks benign with cooler temperatures and chances of scattered showers.