USDA’s latest crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through Aug. 30, had the agency stubbornly holding corn quality steady, despite general expectations to see a slight decline. USDA did dock the soybean crop 2 points, meantime, while the 2026 spring wheat harvest stayed well ahead of the prior five-year average.
Corn quality ratings were mostly steady, with 57% of the crop still in good-to-excellent condition through Sunday. Analysts were expecting to see a 1-point decline, with individual trade guesses ranging between 55% and 57%. An additional 26% of the crop is rated fair (unchanged from last week), with the remaining 17% rated poor or very poor (also unchanged from last week).
Physiologically, 92% of the crop has reached dough stage, up from 86% last week and ahead of the prior five-year average of 89%. More than half (62%) of the crop is now dented, up from 45% last week and moderately above the prior five-year average of 56%. And 13% of the crop is fully mature, mirroring the prior five-year average.
Soybean quality faded 2 points lower this past week, with 58% now in good-to-excellent condition. That was also on the lower end of trade guesses, which ranged between 58% and 60%. An additional 29% of the crop is rated fair (up 1 point from last week), with the remaining 13% rated poor or very poor (also up 1 point from last week).
Physiologically, 95% of the crop is now setting pods, up from 91% last week and a bit ahead of the prior five-year average of 93%. And 13% is now dropping leaves, up from 6% a week ago and also ahead of the prior five-year average of 9%.
The spring wheat harvest improved from 62% completion a week ago up to 77% through Sunday. That was slightly ahead of the average analyst estimate of 75%, with a wide range of guesses between 69% and 80%. That puts 2026’s effort well ahead of 2025’s pace of 69% and the prior five-year average of 68%.
Click here for additional data points from the latest crop progress report, including a state-by-state look at topsoil and subsoil moisture, days suitable for fieldwork and more.