USDA’s latest crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through July 20, showed an unexpected shift lower for soybean quality. Corn quality ratings held steady, meantime, and are at the highest level for this time of year since 2016. Meantime, the 2024-25 winter wheat harvest is almost three-quarters complete.
Corn quality dialed in a few small changes this past week. Seventy-four percent of the crop is still rated in good-to-excellent condition, although the G/E split shifted from 57/17 a week ago to 56/18 as of Sunday. Another 20% of the crop is rated fair (down one points from last week), with the remaining 6% rated poor or very poor (up one points from last week).
Physiologically, more than half (56%) of the crop is now silking, up from 34% a week ago and slightly below the prior five-year average of 58%. And 14% of the crop has reached dough stage, up from 7% last week and slightly ahead of the prior five-year average of 12%.
Soybean quality ratings shifted unexpectedly lower last week, with 68% of the crop now rated in good-to-excellent condition. Analysts were expecting to see a one-point increase, in contrast. Another 25% of the crop is rated fair (steady from last week), with the remaining 7% rated poor or very poor (up two points from last week).
Physiologically, 62% of the crop is now blooming, up from 47% last week and slightly behind the prior five-year average of 63%. And 26% of the crop is now setting pods, up from 15% last week and mirroring the prior five-year average.
Spring wheat quality ratings slid another two points lower last week, with 52% of the crop in good-to-excellent condition. Another 32% of the crop is rated fair (down one point from last week), with the remaining 16% rated poor or very poor (up three points from last week). Physiologically, 87% of the crop is now headed, which is just below the prior five-year average of 88%.
Winter wheat harvest has improved from 63% in the prior week up to 73% through Sunday. That’s modestly below 2024’s pace of 75% and just ahead of the prior five-year average of 72%.
Click here for more data from today’s report, including a state-by-state look at topsoil and subsoil moisture, days suitable for fieldwork and more.