American soybean harvest reaching the halfway point

Farmers still about 10 percent behind last year’s figures

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

U.S. farmers have almost completed half of the total 2017 soybean harvest, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.

49 percent of the U.S. soybean crop has been harvested, according to the USDA’s report. That number is up from 36 percent last week but 10 percent lower than the harvest completion measured at this time last year.

On a state level, farmers in Louisiana have completed 95 of their soybean harvest. That number is up from a 91 percent last week and is the highest among the 18 states recorded.

On the other end of the spectrum, farmers in North Carolina have harvested 26 percent of their soybean crop. That number is the lowest of the 18 documented states but does reflect a 10 percent increase from last week.

The USDA also ranked 48 percent of the total soybean crop as good. That number is down 1 percent from last week.

Corn

U.S. corn producers have almost harvested 30 percent of the total American corn crop, the USDA reports.

Farmers have completed 28 percent of the total corn harvest. That number is up from 22 percent last week and well behind the 44 percent harvest completion from last year at this time.

Producers in North Carolina have harvested 92 percent of their corn crop. That number is up from 89 percent last week and is the highest among the 18 states recorded.

Farmers in Minnesota, in contrast, have only completed 7 percent of their corn harvest. That number is up from 4 percent last week but well behind the 29 percent harvest completion recorded at this time in 2016.

The USDA ranked 50 percent of the total U.S. corn crop as good. That number is up 1 percent from last week.

Wheat

37 percent of the total winter wheat crop has emerged, according to the USDA. That number is up from 25 percent last week but behind the 45 percent emergence witnessed at this time last year.

In South Dakota, 67 percent of the winter wheat crop has emerged, the USDA reports. That number is up from 50 percent last week, up from 60 percent at this time last year, and is the highest of the 18 states documented.

The winter wheat crop in California is yet to emerge, according to the USDA.

Fieldwork days

The states with the most suitable fieldwork days for the week ending Oct. 15 were:

• California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona – 7 days

The states with the fewest number of fieldwork days were:

• Illinois – 2 days
• Delaware – 3 days
• Ohio – 3.1 days

Weekly precipitation levels

The next Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin will be released Tues., Oct. 24.