Corn
National corn conditions improved 1 point for the week ending June 14, led by a significant improvement in Ohio (+19). Much of the western Corn Belt saw modest declines, including Iowa (-5), Illinois (-1), and Nebraska (-3). Meanwhile, North Carolina conditions continue to deteriorate sharply, falling 21 points this week after dropping 15 points the previous week.
USDA discontinued corn planting progress reporting this week. National corn emergence reached 94%, premium subscribers can view the emergence chart on our Infographics page.
Additional rainfall is forecast over the next seven days, with the heaviest totals expected from the Mississippi Delta through the eastern Corn Belt.
Soybeans
Soybean conditions improved by 1 percentage point nationally this week, led by notable gains in South Dakota (+7) and Indiana (+7). National soybean conditions remain relatively stable as the crop enters a critical period of early-season development.
Planting is essentially complete, reaching 95% nationally this week. Emergence also continued to advance, with 88% of the crop now emerged nationwide.
Wheat
Winter wheat conditions improved by 2 percentage points nationally this week, led by gains in Montana (+11) and South Dakota (+8).
Harvest is now well underway in the southern states, with Texas and Oklahoma both surpassing 70% complete. Favorable harvest conditions allowed for rapid progress this week, as Texas advanced 40 percentage points and Oklahoma gained 29 percentage points. As harvest moves northward, yield reports and protein levels will become increasingly important market factors.
Spring wheat conditions improved by 3 percentage points nationally this week, continuing the crop’s strong start to the growing season. The improvement was led by Montana, where conditions have increased by 17 percentage points since USDA released its first condition ratings a few weeks ago.
South Dakota and Washington were the only two major spring wheat states to see condition declines this week. Overall, conditions across much of the Northern Plains remain favorable as the crop progresses through early development.
Cotton
National cotton conditions declined by 3 percentage points this week, with several states posting significant losses, including Kansas (-14), South Carolina (-8), Tennessee (-24), and Virginia (-9). Overall, it was a disappointing week for cotton conditions, as much of the crop continues to face weather-related challenges.
USDA also released its first cotton boll-setting report of the season and its second cotton squaring update. Nationally, cotton squaring reached 19%, while boll setting was reported at 2%. With the crop entering these key reproductive stages, weather conditions will play an increasingly important role in determining yield potential.
Rice
Rice conditions were mixed this week, with the national crop weighed down by a sharp decline in California (-20). Despite the setback in California, several other major rice-producing states posted improvements, including Mississippi (+6). Mississippi continues to hold the lowest condition rating among the major rice-growing states, though this week’s improvement helped narrow the gap.
Drought Monitor and Weekly Precipitation Forecast
Source: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
