Jun 16, 2020
2020 U.S. Corn Condition Declines, Soybeans Unchanged
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Corn - The condition of the 2020 U.S. corn crop declined 4% last week to 71% rated good to excellent. Six states indicated that the corn condition improved last week, 11 states indicated that the corn condition declined last week, and 2 were unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the eastern and southern Corn Belt while most of the declines were found in the central and western Corn Belt. The top five rated corn states are: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and a tie between South Dakota and Kentucky. The five lowest rated corn states are: Colorado, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio.
The corn condition declined last week and given this week's forecast for mostly hot and dry conditions, I suspect that the percent good to excellent will decline again in next week's report.
Soybeans - The condition of the 2020 U.S. soybean crop held steady last week at 72% rated good to excellent. Eight states indicated that the soybean condition improved last week and 8 states indicated the soybean condition declined last week. Most of the improvements were found in the eastern and southern locations while most of the declines were found in the central and western locations. The top five rated soybean states are: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and a tie between South Dakota and Tennessee. The five lowest rated soybean states are: Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Mississippi, and Indiana.
The soybean condition held steady this week which is no surprise given how early it is in the growing season and the fact that it is hard to make small soybeans look bad. The roots of the small soybean plants are still confined to the topsoil and the topsoil is going to dry out fairly quickly given the current conditions
Soil Moisture - The nation's soils got dryer last week with 3 states indicating improved soil moisture last week and 15 states indicating dryer soils last week. The improved soil moisture was only found in Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina while all the other states registered dryer soils. The five states with the highest soil moisture are: North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, and South Dakota. The five states with the driest soils are: Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Kansas.
The remnants of Cristobal left a narrow band of moisture from northern Arkansas northward into eastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. There was not much rain on either side of Cristobal's path. The nation's soils will get dryer again this week given the generally hot and dry forecast. So, next week's soil moisture will be even further below average.