USDA Weekly Crop Progress

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- Winter wheat conditions fell slightly from the previous week, according to USDA's latest Crop Progress report released on Monday.

USDA estimated that 54% of the winter wheat crop was rated good to excellent, down 1 percentage point from 55% the previous week. That resulted in a DTN Winter Wheat Condition Index of 137, down 3 points from the previous week. DTN's index is down from 148 a year ago and is a little below the five-year average of 140, but is close enough to be considered neutral for winter wheat prices, said DTN Analyst Todd Hultman.

Winter wheat progress was running at a near-average pace with USDA estimating 95% of the crop planted as of Sunday, up from 94% a year ago and even with the five-year average of 95% planted. Eighty-four percent of winter wheat was emerged, up from 83% a year ago and up from the five-year average of 83%.

Corn harvest, on the other hand, continued to lag behind the average pace. USDA estimated that 83% of corn was harvested, down from 92% a year ago and also below the five-year average of 91% harvested. Indiana and Ohio, at 80% and 71% harvested respectively, were examples of wet conditions delaying harvest.

"Monday's harvest progress was neutral for corn prices," Hultman said.

Soybean harvest was also slightly behind the average pace at 93% complete, down from 96% a year ago and down from a five-year average of 95% harvested.

"Monday's report was neutral for soybeans," Hultman said.

Sorghum was 83% harvested, behind the five-year average of 87%.

Cotton was 64% harvested nationwide, equal to the average pace.

The following are highlights from weekly crop progress reports issued by National Ag Statistics Service offices in individual states. To view the full reports from each state, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/…

Colorado

Harvest activities progressed last week despite wetter conditions. Isolated snow showers and rain were observed early in the week. Days suitable for fieldwork is 6.2 days, down slightly from the 6.3 days seen the previous week. Topsoil moisture is 2% very short, 17% short, 80% adequate and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture is 6% very short, 20% short, 73% and 1% surplus. Corn harvested is 72% with 86% the five-year average. Sorghum harvested is 77% with 79% the five-year average. Winter wheat emerged is 94% with 96% the five-year average. Winter wheat crop condition is 9% very poor to poor, 21% fair and 70% good to excellent.

Illinois

Cooler temperatures and some rainfall were common across the state last week. There were 4.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending November 12. Statewide, the average temperature was 37.3 degrees, 5.7 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.47 inch, 0.24 inch below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated at 9% short, 84% adequate, and 7% surplus. Subsoil moisture supply was rated at 6% very short, 18% short, 74% adequate, and 2% surplus. Corn harvested for grain was 90% complete, compared to 96% for the five-year average. Soybean harvest was 95% complete, compared to 99% last year. Winter wheat planted was at 95%, compared to 95% last year. Winter wheat emerged was at 85%, compared to 78% for the five-year average. Winter wheat condition was rated 7% very poor, 8% poor, 31% fair, 41% good, and 13% excellent.

Indiana

Rain this week has continued to slow down harvest, tillage, and manure spreading. There were 3.2 days available for field work last week. More wet conditions throughout the week kept farmers out of the fields, but subfreezing temperatures in the mornings reportedly helped operators gain traction and keep harvesting once the rain stopped falling. Days suitable for fieldwork was at 3.2 days, up from the 2.9 days seen in the previous week. Topsoil moisture is 0% very short, 2% short, 53% adequate and 45% surplus. Subsoil moisture is 0% very short, 5% short, 65% adequate and 30% surplus. Corn harvested for grains is 71% with the five-year average of 85%. Soybeans harvested 93% with the five-year average 95%. Winter wheat planted is 97% with 99% the five-year average. Winter wheat emerged is 90% with 86% being the five-year average. Winter wheat crop condition is 1% very poor to poor, 11% fair and 88% good to excellent.

Iowa

Limited precipitation last week allowed an average of 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork statewide. Harvest has begun to wind down as many Iowa farmers were able to work in their fields throughout the week. Additional fieldwork activities this past week included baling corn stalks, tillage, applying fertilizers and manure, tiling, seeding CRP and hauling grain. Topsoil moisture levels rated 3% very short, 10% short, 83% adequate and 4% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 6% very short, 17% short, 74% adequate and 3% surplus. Eighty-five percent of the corn for grain crop has been harvested, one week behind last year and the five-year average. Moisture content of corn being harvested for grain averaged 17%. Only northwest and north central Iowa have 90% or more of their corn for grain crop harvested. Ninety-seven percent of the soybean crop has been harvested, equal to last year but five days behind average.

Kansas

Temperatures averaged 8 to 10 degrees below normal last week. Fog and drizzle hampered harvest progress in some areas, but rainfall totals remained at or near zero throughout the entire state. There were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture rated 4% very short, 23% short, 72% adequate, and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture rated 3% very short, 23% short, 73% adequate, and 1% surplus. Winter wheat condition rated 3% very poor, 9% poor, 32% fair, 50% good, and 6% excellent. Winter wheat planted was 97%, equal to last year, and near 99% for the five-year average. Emerged was 84%, behind 90% last year and 91% average. Corn harvested was 93%, behind 99% last year, and near 96% average. Soybeans harvested was 91%, near 93% last year, and equal to average. Sorghum harvested was 77%, behind 90% last year and 84% average. Cotton condition rated 0% very poor, 3% poor, 26% fair, 61% good, and 10% excellent. Cotton harvested was 25%, behind 33% last year and 41% average.

Michigan

There were 3.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Michigan last week. Snow accumulation in some northern Michigan locations restricted harvest activities. Farther south, slightly drier conditions allowed some producers to recommence harvesting on certain fields. Days suitable for fieldwork was 3.8 days, up from the previous week's 2.9 days. Topsoil moisture is 0% very short, 0% short, 66% adequate and 34% surplus. Subsoil moisture is 2% very short, 5% short, 72% adequate and 21% surplus. Corn harvested for grain is 69% with five-year average at 70. Soybeans harvested is 88% with 92% the five-year average. Winter wheat planted is 99% with the five-year average of 98%. Winter wheat emerged is 93% with 88% the five-year average. Winter wheat crop condition is 6% very poor to poor, 15% fair and 79% good to excellent.

Minnesota

Minnesota farmers took full advantage of the 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork and harvested 19% of the statewide corn acreage last week. Other field activities included baling corn stalks, moving cattle off pasture, spreading fertilizer, and working on fall tillage. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0% very short, 2% short, 84% adequate and 14% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 1% very short, 6% short, 82% adequate and 11% surplus. Corn for grain harvest advanced 19 percentage points, but remained 12 days behind the five-year average, bringing the total harvest to 79% complete. Corn moisture content of grain at harvest averaged 18%. The sunflower harvest was 93% complete, four days ahead of last year's pace.

Missouri

Cool temperatures and dry weather were prevalent again across the state last week. Statewide, the temperature averaged 42.6 degrees, 3.0 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.26 inch statewide, 0.49 inch below normal. There were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork last week. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 5% very short, 19% short, 72% adequate, and 4% surplus. Subsoil moisture supply was rated 5% very short, 23% short, 70% adequate, and 2% surplus. Corn harvested for grain was 92% complete, compared to 96% for the five-year average. Soybean harvest was 86% complete, up 9 percentage points from last week. Cotton harvest was 92% complete, compared to 83% for the five-year average. Sorghum harvest was 90% complete. Winter wheat planted reached 83%, up 14 percentage points from last week. Winter wheat emerged reached 63%. Winter wheat condition was rated 57% good to excellent.

Nebraska

Temperatures averaged 4 to 10 degrees below normal. Precipitation was limited across the State. Dry weather continued to allow good progress on corn harvest. There were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 3% very short, 21% short, 74% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 5% very short, 19% short, 75% adequate, and 1% surplus. Corn harvested was 86%, behind 92% last year, and near 90% for the five-year average. Winter wheat condition rated 63% good to excellent. Winter wheat emerged was 95%, near 98% both last year and average. Sorghum harvested was 85%, behind 96% last year and 93% average.

North Dakota

Snow and very cold temperatures delayed corn and sunflower harvest last week. Livestock producers were busy moving cattle back to the farmstead for the winter and weaning calves. Temperatures across the state averaged 8 to 20 degrees below normal. There were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 11% very short, 30% short, 57% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 14% very short, 28 short, 56 adequate, and 2 surplus. Corn harvested was 76%, behind 83 last year and 85 for the five-year average. Winter wheat condition rated 29% good to excellent. Winter wheat emerged was 94%, near 96% last year. Sunflowers harvested was 81%, near 84% last year and 78% average.

Ohio

Rain this week has continued to slow down harvest, tillage, and manure spreading. There were 3.2 days available for field work last week. More wet conditions throughout the week kept farmers out of the fields, but subfreezing temperatures in the mornings reportedly helped operators gain traction and keep harvesting once the rain stopped falling. Average grain moisture for corn harvested was 19% and soybean moisture was 13%. Heavy amounts of rain fall impacted much of the state and hit especially hard in southern parts of the state. The heavy rains submerged low-lying areas of fields and left farmers with little time to get into the fields in those areas. Winter wheat that was recently planted into hillsides was reportedly washed away in affected areas due to extraordinary rain events. Hay was being fed to livestock as pasture growth has stopped for the season. Topsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 2% short, 53% adequate and 45% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 0% very short, 5% short, 65% adequate and 30% surplus. Corn harvested for grain was rated 71%, up from 60% last week. Soybeans harvested was rated 93%, up from 90% last week. Winter wheat planted reached 97%, compared to 94% last week. Winter wheat emerged reached 90%. Winter Wheat was rated 88% good to excellent.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma experienced another relatively dry week with the highest precipitation totals recorded in the southeast district at 0.21 inch. As of Nov. 7, drought conditions were rated 8% moderate to exceptional, up 5 points from the previous week but down 29 points from the previous year. Statewide, temperatures averaged in the mid-50s. Topsoil moisture was rated 3% very short, 40% short and 57% adequate. Subsoil moisture was rated 2% very short, 32% short and 66% adequate. Winter wheat planted reached 93%, down 4 points from normal. Winter wheat emerged reached 86%, down 3 points from normal. Corn harvested reached 95%, down 3 points from normal. Sorghum harvested reached 80%, down 5 points from normal. Soybeans harvested reached 75%, up 3 points from normal. Cotton harvested reached 48%, down 5 points from the previous year and down 7 points from normal.

South Dakota

Many producers across the state completed fall harvest following a mostly dry week. Temperatures were below average for most locations. However, minimal precipitation allowed continued progress in corn, sunflower and sorghum harvests, in addition to completing fall fertilizer applications. There were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 17% very short, 23% short, 58% adequate and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 23% very short, 27% short, 49% adequate and 1% surplus. Corn harvested was 82%, behind 90% for both last year and the five-year average. Winter wheat condition was rated 14% good to excellent. Sorghum harvested was 83%, behind 98% last year and 92% average.

Texas

Most of the state experienced cooler temperatures last week. Rainfall ranged from 0.5 inch to 1.5 inches in east Texas, the Blacklands, the Cross Timbers, and the Southern Plains. Most of the rest of the state recorded trace amounts of precipitation up to half an inch. Statewide, topsoil moisture was rated 6% very short, 35% short, 53% adequate and 6% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 9% very short, 29% short, 57% adequate and 5% surplus. Corn was 95% harvested, near the average of 96%. Cotton was 55% harvested, slightly ahead of the average of 53%. Sorghum was 91% harvested, ahead of the average of 87%. Soybeans were 83% harvested, even with the average. Winter wheat was 89% planted, ahead of the average of 87%, and emerged was 78%, also ahead of the average of 73% emerged. Winter wheat condition was rated 46% good to excellent.

Wisconsin

Temperatures were well below normal last week, with overnight lows falling into the low teens and single digits. Precipitation was light and fell mostly as snow in northern Wisconsin. In spite of the dry weather, overcast skies, cold temperatures and local snow cover kept grain moisture high. The ground was reportedly beginning to freeze in some areas, allowing access to soft fields but hampering tillage and manure incorporation. Reporters commented that corn yields were better than expected. Statewide, topsoil moisture supplies were rated 7% short, 85% adequate and 8% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 1% very short, 7% short, 86% adequate and 6% surplus. Corn harvested for grain was 56% complete, 11 days behind the average. The moisture content of corn harvested for grain averaged 21%. Soybean harvest was reported at 92% complete, seven days behind last year and five days behind the average. Winter wheat emerged was reported at 92% complete, four days ahead of last year. Winter wheat condition was reported 85% good to excellent, 2 percentage points below last week.

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn Harvested	83	70	92	91
Soybeans Harvested	93	90	96	95
Winter Wheat Planted	95	91	94	95
Winter Wheat Emerged	84	75	83	83
Cotton Harvested	64	54	60	64
Sorghum Harvested	83	72	89	87

National Crop Condition Summary
(VP=Very Poor; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; E=Excellent)
	This Week						Last Week						Last Year
	VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E
Winter Wheat	3	8	35	46	8		3	8	34	45	10		2	7	32	49	10

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