USDA Crop Progress

OMAHA (DTN) -- U.S. corn and soybean conditions held mostly steady last week as both crops continued to mature ahead of their normal pace, according to the USDA National Ag Statistics Service's weekly Crop Progress report released Tuesday. The report is normally released on Mondays but was delayed this week due to the Labor Day holiday.

Nationwide, corn condition dropped just 1 percentage point from 68% good to excellent the previous week to 67% last week, close to what the crop's good-to-excellent rating was at the same time in 2015, according to NASS. Soybean condition was unchanged at 66% good to excellent.

NASS estimated that 96% of corn was in the dough stage as of Sunday, Sept. 2, 5 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Seventy-five percent of corn was dented, 15 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 60%. Corn mature nationwide was estimated at 22%, 11 percentage points ahead of the average pace of 11%. North Carolina, Texas and Kentucky look closest to being harvest-ready, noted DTN Analyst Todd Hultman.

Meanwhile, 16% of soybeans nationwide were dropping leaves, 7 percentage points ahead of the average of 9%. Louisiana had the highest percentage of soybeans dropping leaves, Hultman noted.

Spring wheat harvest was 87% complete as of Sunday, equal to last year but ahead of the five-year average of 75%. Harvest was nearly finished in both South Dakota and Minnesota.

Sorghum was 96% headed as of Sunday, near the five-year average of 95%. Sorghum coloring was 69%, ahead of the five-year average of 62%. Sorghum mature was estimated at 30%, near 31% at the same time last year but behind the five-year average of 33%. Twenty-two percent of the sorghum crop was harvested as of Sunday, near the average pace of 23%.

Barley was 84% harvested as of Sunday, behind 91% last year but near the average of 83%. Oats were 94% harvested as of Sunday, ahead of 90% last year and also ahead of the five-year average of 91%.

Thirty-one percent of rice was harvested as of Sunday, ahead of last year's 28% and also ahead of the five-year average of 26%. Cotton was 96% setting bolls, equal to both last year and the average pace. Twenty-nine percent of cotton had bolls opening, ahead of the average of 26%.

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 Dough	96	92	91	91
Corn Dented	75	61	58	60
Corn Mature	22	10	11	11
Soybeans Dropping Leaves	16	7	10	9
Cotton Setting Bolls	96	91	96	96
Cotton Bolls Opening	29	21	24	26
Sorghum Headed	96	93	95	95
Sorghum Coloring	69	55	60	62
Sorghum Mature	30	27	31	33
Sorghum Harvested	22	20	23	23
Spring Wheat Harvested	87	77	87	75
Rice Harvested	31	20	28	26
Barley Harvested	84	80	91	83
Oats Harvested	94	89	90	91

**

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	4	8	21	46	21		4	8	20	47	21		4	9	26	48	13
Soybeans	3	8	23	49	17		3	8	23	49	17		3	8	28	50	11
Sorghum	5	12	31	43	9		5	12	30	44	9		2	6	29	53	10
Cotton	15	18	26	31	10		13	18	25	33	11		6	5	24	46	19
Rice	-	3	22	59	16		-	4	21	60	15		-	6	23	55	16

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

Follow him on Twitter @AGrederDTN

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