USDA Crop Progress

OMAHA (DTN) -- The good-to-excellent condition rating for the nation's corn crop was unchanged last week while soybeans' good-to-excellent rating was up slightly, according to the USDA National Ag Statistics Service's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

NASS estimated that 72% of the nation's corn was in good-to-excellent condition as of Sunday, July 22, unchanged from the previous week. However, the crop's condition was down from 76% good to excellent at the same time of year in 2016, noted DTN Analyst Todd Hultman.

Corn development continued to speed along with NASS estimating that 81% of the crop was silking as of Sunday, 19 percentage points ahead of the five-year average pace of 62%. Corn in the dough stage was estimated at 18%, 10 percentage points ahead of 8% for both last year and the five-year average.

Meanwhile, soybean condition saw a slight increase from 69% good to excellent the previous week to 70% last week.

Soybean development also continued to run well ahead of normal, with NASS estimating 78% of the crop blooming as of Sunday, 15 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 63%. Forty-four percent of soybeans were estimated to be setting pods, 21 percentage points ahead of the five-year average pace of 23%.

"At the state level, both corn and soybeans showed slight improvement in Missouri, but were rated a little worse in Michigan," Hultman said.

NASS estimated that 80% of winter wheat was harvested as of Sunday, behind last year's pace of 83%, but slightly ahead of the five-year average of 79%.

Spring wheat was 96% headed as of Sunday, near last year's 95% and slightly ahead of the five-year average of 93%. The condition of the crop slipped 1 percentage point from 80% good to excellent the previous week to 79% last week. That's still the highest good-to-excellent rating for the crop for this time of year since 2010, Hultman said.

Sorghum was 42% headed as of Sunday, ahead of 37% last year and also ahead of the five-year average of 40%. Sorghum coloring was 22%, near 21% last year but behind the five-year average of 24%. Sorghum condition was rated 49% good to excellent, up 2 percentage points from 47% the previous week.

Barley was 94% headed as of Sunday, behind 96% last year and slightly behind the average pace of 95%. Barley condition fell 4 percentage from 85% good to excellent the previous week to 81% last week. Oats were 24% harvested as of Sunday, near 23% for both last year and the five-year average. Oat condition improved by 1 percentage point.

Rice was 46% headed as of Sunday, slightly behind 47% last year but ahead of the average of 41%. Cotton was 78% squaring, behind of the average of 81%. Forty-one percent of cotton was setting bolls, ahead of the average pace of 37%. Cotton condition was down 2 percentage points while rice's good-to-excellent rating was up 2 percentage points.

To view weekly crop progress reports issued by National Ag Statistics Service offices in individual states, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov. Look for the U.S. map in the "Find Data and Reports by" section and choose the state you wish to view in the drop-down menu. Then look for that state's "Crop Progress & Condition" report.

National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn Silking	81	63	63	62
Corn Dough	18	NA	8	8
Soybeans Blooming	78	65	67	63
Soybeans Setting Pods	44	26	27	23
Cotton Squaring	78	72	76	81
Cotton Setting Bolls	41	31	35	37
Sorghum Headed	42	31	37	40
Sorghum Coloring	22	19	21	24
Spring Wheat Headed	96	93	95	93
Winter Wheat Harvested	80	74	83	79
Rice Headed	46	32	47	41
Barley Headed	94	90	96	95
Oats Harvested	24	16	23	23

**

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
Corn	3	6	19	50	22		3	6	19	51	21		4	8	26	49	13
Soybeans	2	6	22	52	18		2	6	23	53	16		4	10	29	47	10
Spring Wheat	1	3	17	65	14		1	3	16	67	13		21	19	27	28	5
Sorghum	5	11	35	44	5		5	12	36	43	4		2	6	33	52	7
Cotton	14	19	28	32	7		10	18	31	34	7		3	9	33	43	12
Rice	1	5	23	56	15		1	5	25	56	13		1	4	23	53	19
Oats	4	3	21	59	13		4	3	22	58	13		9	13	27	43	8
Barley	-	2	17	67	14		1	2	12	70	15		5	9	35	43	8

Anthony Greder can be reached at anthony.greder@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @AGrederDTN

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