Market News & Headlines >> Corn Crop Rating Down Again, Soybean Rating Up

U.S. soybean conditions improved for a second week in a row last week, while corn conditions continued to deteriorate, according to Monday afternoon’s weekly crop update from USDA. 

USDA rated U.S. soybean crop conditions 60% good/excellent, up from 59% a week earlier, but still well below the year-earlier rating of 72%.  Corn conditions were rated 60% good/excellent, down from 61% a week earlier and also well below the year-earlier level of 74%. 

USDA estimated that 65% of the U.S. soybean crop was setting pods as of Sunday, up from 48% a week earlier and ahead of the five-year average pace of 62%. An estimated 42% of the U.S. corn crop had reached the dough stage, up from 23% a week earlier, but slightly behind the average pace of 44%. Some 7% of the crop had reached the dough stage, behind the average pace of 11%. 

Corn conditions deteriorated in all four of the top U.S. growing states. In the top growing state of Iowa, 59% of the crop was rated good/excellent, down from 60% previously.  Conditions declined significantly in No. 2 producer Illinois to 58% good/excellent from 63% a week earlier. The good/excellent rating for the Nebraska crop was down 2 points to 59%, while it slipped 1 point in Minnesota to 80%. Meanwhile, the Indiana crop rating rose to 52% good/excellent from 49%. 

While the U.S. soybean crop rating improved, conditions deteriorated in three of the top four producing states. The good/excellent rating for the Iowa crop slipped one point to 59% and fell 2 points to 64% in the No. 2 growing state of Illinois. The good/excellent rating for Nebraska soybeans dropped 2 points to 58%. The portion of the Minnesota crop rated good/excellent rose by 1 point to 74%.  

Soybean conditions improved in the eastern Midwest with the portion of the Ohio crop rated good/excellent rising 5 percentage points to 53% and the good/excellent rating ffor Indiana soybeans climbing 3 points to 54%.