The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that major crops are developing largely on schedule across the country, with corn and soybean progress closely matching five-year averages despite varying moisture conditions.
According to the weekly Crop Progress report released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 95% of corn in the 18 major producing states has reached the dough stage as of September 7, matching the five-year average. Corn denting stands at 74%, slightly behind the 75% historical average, while 25% of the crop is mature, identical to the five-year benchmark.
The USDA rated 68% of the corn crop as good to excellent, showing improvement from the same period last year when 64% received that rating. Only 9% of the crop was rated very poor to poor, compared to 12% in 2024.
For soybeans, 97% are setting pods across the 18 major producing states, equal to the five-year average. Approximately 21% of soybeans are dropping leaves, slightly behind the average pace of 22%. The report indicates 64% of the soybean crop is in good to excellent condition.
"Cotton development continues to progress well, with 97% of the crop setting bolls in the 15 major producing states," the report stated. About 40% of cotton bolls are opening, slightly ahead of the 39% five-year average, with 54% rated good to excellent.
Sorghum coloring reached 71% compared to the 72% five-year average, while 37% is mature, surpassing the 33% historical average. Approximately 65% of sorghum is rated good to excellent.
The report highlighted moisture concerns in some regions, with 39% of areas reporting short to very short topsoil moisture conditions. However, 56% of areas reported adequate moisture levels, with an additional 5% reporting surplus conditions.
Days suitable for fieldwork averaged 6.1 days across the 48 states last week, allowing producers to maintain harvest operations for crops like rice (45% harvested) and continue planting for the 2026 winter wheat crop (5% planted).
Pasture and range conditions were reported as 36% good to excellent across the 48 states, a slight decline from the previous week.
