Jul 19, 2022

U.S Corn Unchanged 64% Gd/Ex, Soybeans Down 1% to 61% Gd/Ex

Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.

Corn - The condition of the 2022 U.S. corn crop was unchanged last week at 64% rated good/excellent. Six states indicated that the corn condition had improved last week, 11 states indicated that the condition had declined, and 1 was unchanged. Most of the improvements were found in the northern Midwest while most of the declines were found in the southern locations. The top five rated corn states are: Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The five lowest rated corn states are: North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.

Rainfall last week favored the central and eastern Corn Belt with parts of eastern Indiana and Ohio probably receiving more than expected, but a lot of the western Corn Belt stayed mostly hot and dry. The forecast for this week is very worrisome especially for the western Corn Belt and states where the corn is already rated the lowest. On the positive side, the corn in the two big states of Iowa and Illinois is rated some of the best in the country

Soybeans - The condition of the 2022 U.S. soybean crop declined 1% last week to 61% rated good/excellent. Five states indicated that the soybean condition had improved last week and 13 states indicated that the condition had declined. Most of the improvements were found in the northern and eastern areas while most of the declines were found in the central and southern areas. The top five rated soybean states are: Wisconsin, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The five lowest rated soybean states are: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri.

The soybeans are entering pod set and pod fill and the weather now is very important. If the soil moisture continues to decline for the remainder of July, that would make the weather in early August even more important. There has been rain during the first half of July, but high temperatures could quickly exhaust any remaining soil moisture.

Soil Moisture - The soil moisture declined last week with 6 states indicating improved soil moisture, 11 states indicating lower soil moisture, and I was unchanged. 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 five states with the highest soil moisture are: North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Minnesota, and tie between Iowa and South Dakota. The five states with the lowest soil moisture are: Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Nebraska.

After one week of improvements, the soil moisture declined again last week and it will probably decline again next Monday. The soil moisture is already below the long-term average and the forecast points to more declines.