This week's headlines for Neogen's Monday Mycotoxin & Crop Report for August 21:
- Soil and crop conditions improve
- Record high temperatures in the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast
- Corn conditions improve nationally
Weather and harvest updates
The USDA’s August 15 bulletin reports a severely destructive wildfire outbreak occurred August 8 and 9 on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Burning 2,170 acres, it is reported as the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history.
Meanwhile, the Central and Eastern U.S. observed mild and wet weather which stabilized and often improved crop conditions in those regions. The nation’s corn crop improved 2% during this period. Isolated areas saw severe precipitation leading to pockets of flash flooding.
Rain bypassed many areas last week, including large portions of the Corn Belt, most of Texas as well as the Western and Central Gulf Coast, worsening drought conditions in those regions.
- The wheat harvest continues as crop maturity advances.
- The winter wheat harvest is 92% complete, on par with the five-year average.
- 24% of spring wheat acres are harvested, 4 points behind the five-year average. 42% are in good to excellent condition, 22 points behind last year.
- Barley is 28% harvested, 5 points behind the five-year average. 54% of barley is in good to excellent condition, 4 points behind last year.
- Oat acres are 60% harvested, 4 points behind the five-year average.
- Corn development is highly variable within some fields.
- 65% of corn is in the dough stage, 2 points above the five-year average. Nationally, 59% of corn is in good to excellent condition, 2 points above last year.
Here are the states with the highest good to excellent ratings, as well as the states with the highest poor to very poor ratings.
Good to excellent: CO, KY, NC, OH, PA, TN
Poor to very poor: KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, SD, TX, WI
