Tweet Post to Your Wall.

Corn, Soybean Harvest Wrapping Up

The Sandy-delayed Crop Progress Report released this afternoon from USDA shows that the U.S. corn and soybean harvest have moved right along. For corn, 91% of the crop is out of the field, while 87% of the soybeans have been harvested. Both of those figures are ahead of the five-year average.

In the case of corn, harvest speed is running at least a third faster than average. Usually by this time just 60% of the crop is in the bin. States lagging behind this year's harvest include Michigan at 57% (still ahead of average); Ohio and Pennsylvania, both at 64% (but ahead of average) and Wisconsin at 77%.

For soybeans, fall wet weather has delayed harvest in North Carolina at 17%; Missouri at 62%; Tennessee at 66%; and Kentucky at 71% - all of which are at or above the five-year average. Wet, windy weather from Sandy is not reflected in this report, but could have an impact on next week's numbers as the toll of the devastating story get tallied.

Winter wheat condition shows the crop at 40% good to excellent, which is below where the crop was last year. If drought continues in some areas, expect those numbers to slide.

The cotton harvest is moving along at about average, but with 50% of the crop still left to harvest Sandy may have taken a toll on this crop. North Carolina, which got a lot of rain out of the storm is already behind with just 34% of its cotton crop out of the field, versus a 52% average by this time each year.

As winter approaches, pasture and rangeland condition remains static. This week 21% was good to excellent - same as last week; and 54% was poor to very poor, also the same as last week.

You can download the complete report - including information for rice, sorghum and peanuts by clicking on Crop Progress.