Market News & Headlines >> Southern Harvest Picking Up

Corn harvest is well underway in the U.S. Delta region and soybean harvest is starting to gain momentum as well now, with harvest activity set to spread further north earlier than usual. 

Monday’s crop update from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service showed Louisiana farmers had already harvested 55% of their corn crop, ahead of the five-year average of 46% and had also collected 17% of their soybean crop, ahead of the average pace of 5%. 

In Mississippi, an estimated 21% of the crop had been harvested, just ahead of the average pace of 19%, while 4% of soybeans had been harvested versus an average of 2%. The harvest is off to a slower start in Arkansas, with 6% of the corn crop out of the field behind the five-year average of 9% and no soybean harvest reported yet. 

Corn harvest is already underway in Kansas, with 1% of the crop harvested there by Sunday, according to USDA. Some 14% of the state’s crop was said to be mature, up from the average of 4%. 

Looking at the Mid-South, the Tennessee corn crop was 6% mature, a point behind the five-year average, while 21% of  Kentucky corn was said to be mature, versus an average pace of 11%. However, no harvest progress was reported for Kentucky as of Sunday. 

Meanwhile, 10% of the Missouri corn crop was said to be mature, up from the average of 2%.