The 2026 corn and soybean harvests continued to race toward the finish line last week amid mostly friendly weather forecasts. Winter wheat plantings also made solid inroads. As this season wraps up, USDA will be offering only a few more weekly progress reports.
Corn quality ratings saw some minor shifts in the week through Oct. 25, although 56% of the crop was still rated in good-to-excellent condition through Sunday. About 26% was rated fair (down 1 point from last week), with the remaining 18% rated poor or very poor (up 1 point from last week).
Harvest progress moved from 44% completion a week ago up to 60% through Sunday. That’s still moderately behind the prior five-year average of 66%. Tennessee (98%), North Carolina (96%) and Texas (95%) lead the way among the top 18 production states so far.
Soybean harvest moved from 64% done a week ago up to 79% through Sunday. That’s now slightly ahead of the prior five-year average of 77% after making solid progress this past week. Mississippi (98%), Minnesota (93%) and Arkansas (91%) are closest to the finish line among the top 18 production states so far.
Other regional harvests continue to push forward, including:
- cotton at 52% (up from 41% last week)
- sorghum at 56% (up from 46% last week)
- peanuts at 51% (up from 39% last week)
- sugarbeets at 75% (up from 55% last week)
- sunflowers at 46% (up from 24% last week)
Winter wheat plantings shifted from 63% completion a week ago up to 76% through Sunday. That’s very close to the prior five-year average of 77%. There is a wide spread of progress among the top 18 production states, from North Carolina (24%) all the way up to Washington (98%). Emergence has crossed the halfway mark at 53% and is slightly behind the prior five-year average of 54%.
Click here for additional data points from today’s USDA Crop Progress report, including a state-by-state look at topsoil and subsoil moisture, days suitable for fieldwork and more.