According to the USDA’s latest Crop Progress report, corn and soybean planting across the United States experienced significant improvements in the past week, propelling national averages close to five-year norms.
The report shows that across the 18 states that produce 91% of the nation’s corn, planting progress leaped to 59%, up from just 29% the previous week. This significant jump, fueled by favorable weather conditions, pushed the national total ahead of the five-year average for this time of year (58%). Much like corn, soybean producers also took to the fields with a fury in the past week, moving the national average from 5% all the way up to 20%, just short of the 21% average.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, recently commented on the USDA report and Iowa’s planting progress in a press release, stating, “Farmers were very busy in the fields last week with nearly half of expected corn acres being planted, about 7 million acres, and almost 20 percent of soybeans being planted, or about 2 million acres. The rain we received was good for the crop in the ground but is a challenge for those still needing to get crops planted.” Thanks to the favorable conditions, Iowa’s corn progress is now on par with five-year averages, marking a dramatic leap from 23% to 70% of the crop planted in just one week’s time.
The cold weather across much of the Midwest in the early spring kept corn and soybean planting equipment out of the fields, but recent favorable weather conditions have allowed producers to make significant progress this past week, essentially catching them up to normal planting progress.