Farmers in South Dakota lead the nation
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Farmers in the U.S. have started to harvest the 2018 spring wheat crop.
Growers harvested about four per cent of the total U.S. spring wheat acres as of July 31, the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin report says.
On a state level, wheat producers in South Dakota lead the nation.
Farmers have combined about 35 per cent of the state’s spring wheat, which is the highest among the six states documented.
Growers in Montana are yet to harvest any spring wheat.
The USDA ranked 78 per cent of the total spring wheat crop as good or excellent.
Farmers continue to harvest the 2018 winter wheat crop.
The winter wheat harvest is 85 per cent completed, the USDA says. That number is up from 80 per cent last week.
Growers in nine of the 18 states documented have completed their respective harvests.
Producers in Colorado are 97 per cent finished with winter wheat harvest, while farmers in Idaho have only completed 24 per cent of their winter wheat harvest.
Soybeans
Soybeans across the U.S. continue to set pods.
About 60 per cent of the 2018 soybean crop has set pods, the USDA says. That figure represents a 16 per cent increase from last week.
On a state level, soybean crops in Louisiana are the furthest along.
About 95 per cent of the soybean crops in the state has set pods.
Only 29 per cent of soybeans in North Carolina have set pods, which is the lowest of the 18 states documented.
The USDA ranked 70 per cent of the 2018 American soybean crop as good or excellent.
Corn
The percentage of U.S. corn in the dough stage increased by 20 per cent in one week.
About 38 per cent of the American corn crop is in the dough stage, the USDA says. That figure is up rom 18 per cent last week.
Corn crops in Tennessee are the furthest along.
About 78 per cent of corn in The Volunteer State is in the dough stage, which is the highest percentage of the 18 primary corn production states.
And about eight per cent of corn in Wisconsin is in the dough stage, which is the lowest among the states documented.
The USDA ranked 72 per cent of the 2018 corn crop as good or excellent.
Suitable fieldwork days
Farmers in Washington, California, Arizona and Rhode Island experienced seven suitable fieldwork days for the week ending July 29.
During that week, the states with the fewest suitable fieldwork days were:
Connecticut – 3
Virginia – 3.1
New York and Vermont – 4
Weekly precipitation levels
State | Precipitation (inches) | Weather Station |
Illinois | 0.08 | Chicago/O’Hare |
Indiana | 0.38 | South Bend |
Iowa | 0.22 | Waterloo |
Kentucky | 0.91 | Lexington |
Michigan | 1.15 | Alpena |
Missouri | 0.06 | Columbia |
New York | 2.68 | Albany |
Pennsylvania | 7.56 | Middletown |
Tennessee | 0.61 | Bristol |
The next Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin will be released Aug. 7.