The latest USDA crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through Sept. 13, showed an improvement for corn crop conditions, with analysts expecting to see a modest drop. Soybean ratings held steady, meantime, while some Southern row crops saw more combines rolling this past week.
Corn quality improved slightly this past week, with 57% of the crop now rated in good-to-excellent condition. Analysts were expecting a 1-point drop, with individual trade guesses ranging between 55% and 56%. About 26% of the crop is rated fair (down 1 point from last week), with the remaining 17% rated poor or very poor (unchanged from last week).
Physiologically, 86% of the crop is now dented, up from 76% from the prior week and a bit ahead of the prior five-year average of 84%. Nearly half (42%) of the crop is now fully mature, versus the prior five-year average of 38%. And harvest moved from 5% completion a week ago up to 8%. That’s slightly ahead of both 2025’s pace of 7% and the prior five-year average of 6%.
Soybean quality steady
Soybean quality ratings remained unchanged this past week, with 58% of the crop still in good-to-excellent condition through Sept. 13. That mirrored analyst expectations, although individual trade guesses ranged between 56% and 58%. An additional 29% of the crop is rated fair (steady from a week ago), with the remaining 13% rated poor or very poor (also steady from a week ago).
Physiologically, 44% of the crop is now dropping leaves, up from 26% a week ago and moderately ahead of the prior five-year average of 37%. And USDA noted harvest progress for the first time this season, with 6% completion across the top 18 production states. Louisiana (59%) and Mississippi (50%) are leading the charge so far.
Other regional crops are also making some harvest headway, including:
- Cotton – 8% (up from 7% last week)
- Sorghum – 22% (up from 20% last week)
- Peanuts – 2% (up from 1% last week)
- Rice – 62% (up from 50% last week)
- Spring wheat – 93% (up from 86% last week)
Winter wheat plantings for the 2026-27 season are now underway, with 8% completion through Sunday. That’s behind 2025’s pace of 10% and the prior five-year average of 12%.
Click here for additional data points from today’s crop progress report, including a state-by-state look at topsoil and subsoil moisture, days suitable for fieldwork, and more.