USDA continues to monitor corn and soybean planting paces in its latest crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through May 18. Corn plantings passed the three-fourths mark this past week, while soybean plantings are now two-thirds complete. Winter wheat quality ratings fell two points, with analysts not expecting to see any changes.
Corn plantings moved from 62% completion a week ago up to 78% as of Sunday. That was slightly below the average trade guess of 79%. It is still ahead of 2024’s pace of 67% and the prior five-year average of 73%, however.
Corn emergence reached the halfway point, up from 28% last week. That’s also noticeably ahead of 2024’s pace of 38% and the prior five-year average of 40%.
Soybean plantings moved from 48% completion last week up to 66% through May 18. That was slightly above the average trade guess of 65%. It is also substantially higher than 2024’s pace of 50% and the prior five-year average of 53%.
Around a third (34%) of this year’s soybean crop is now emerged, up from 17% a week ago. That’s also significantly above 2024’s pace of 25% and the prior five-year average of 23%.
Plantings of some regional crops also continued to push forward this past week, including:
- Cotton at 40% (up from 28% last week)
- Sorghum at 33% (up from 26% last week)
- Rice at 87% (up from 80% last week)
- Peanuts at 51% (up from 34% last week)
- Sugarbeets at 100% (up from 91% last week)
Spring wheat plantings moved from 66% a week ago up to 82% through Sunday. That was two points above the average trade guess of 80%. It is also moderately above 2024’s pace of 76% and substantially above the prior five-year average of 65%.
Winter wheat quality ratings took an unexpected turn lower after shedding two points last week, with 52% of the crop now in good-to-excellent conditions. Analysts were expecting to see ratings hold steady. Another 30% of the crop is rated fair (up two points from last week), with the remaining 18% rated poor or very poor (unchanged from last week).
Physiologically, 64% of the crop is now headed, up from 53% last week. That’s behind 2024’s pace of 67% but still ahead of the prior five-year average of 58%.
Click here for more data from today’s report, including a state-by-state look at topsoil and subsoil moisture, days suitable for fieldwork and more.