Market News & Headlines >> U.S. Corn Planting Falls Further Behind

U.S. corn planting is advancing at the slowest pace in six years, according to Monday afternoon’s weekly crop update from USDA, which showed just 23% of the crop had been planted by Sunday – half of the five-year average. 

Planting progress as of May 5 was the slowest since 2013 when only 12% of the crop had been put in the ground as of that date.  Crop emergence was also behind at 6%, compared with 7% last year and a five-year average of 13%. 

Planting progress was behind the average pace in all 18 states included by USDA in its U.S. crop progress calculations. Planting was farthest behind in the No. 2 producing state of Illinois at only 10% complete compared with a five-year average of 66% and in Minnesota, where only 6% of the crop had been planted versus an average pace of 42%. 

Meanwhile, only 3% of the Indiana corn crop had been planted against an average pace of 37% and no planting progress was reported in South Dakota versus an average pace of 29%.

USDA put U.S. soybean planting progress at 6%, behind last year’s pace of 14%, which was also the five-year average.  Illinois soybean planting was only 3% complete versus a five-year average of 16%, while no planting progress was reported in Minnesota versus an average pace of 15%. 

In the Delta, soybean planting is well behind. Mississippi soybean planting progress of 27% was half of the five-year average, while Arkansas progress of 17% was 20 points below average.