The USDA’s Crop Progress report for the week ending September 8 says that 5% of the country’s corn for grain harvest is done. See more about how the gathering is going in the nine states that made up that 5% here.
Texas
Texas was the most advanced in its corn yield among the 18 states that grow the most corn in the country during the week ending September 8.
The Lone Star State’s corn harvest hit 75%, which is only 5 percentage points more than the week before because some areas of the state needed more rain, which slowed down work in the fields. On average, there were 4.5 days that were good for research.
We are ahead of past trends in harvest growth. Last year, only 60% of the corn crop was done. The average over the last five years is 59%.
It was said that 9% of Texas’ corn was in very bad shape, 22% was poor, 28% was fair, 33% was good, and 8% was excellent.
North Carolina
North Carolina was second among the top corn-growing states in terms of crop progress, but by the end of the week on September 8, only 33% of its corn harvest was done. In terms of harvest growth, that’s 11 percentage points less than it was a year ago and five years ago.
There is no doubt that the imbalance is linked to the choice North Carolina farmers have had to make to harvest low-quality corn for silage instead of grain. Over half of the state’s yield was very poor corn as of September 8. This was the most of any week this season.
The corn in North Carolina was ranked as very poor by 51% of people, poor by 22%, fair by 15%, good by 11%, and excellent by 1%.
Tennessee
In Tennessee, the corn yield rose from 16% the week before to 31% by the end of the week of September 8. Farmers in the state are far ahead of where they were last year in terms of harvest progress. Only 10% of the crop was gathered last year, and the average over the last five years is only 11%.
Still, the USDA said that crops are hurting because of the high temperatures and lack of rain. “Early yield estimates [are] coming in below average because of the bad conditions this summer,” the office said.
The USDA said that Tennessee’s corn crop was 10% very poor, 12% poor, 33% fair, 35% good, and 10% excellent.
Kentucky
Last week, Kentucky’s corn harvest progress hit 22%. This is 11 percentage points more than the week before. A year ago, it was only 7%, and the average over the last five years has been 9%.
The USDA said that different parts of the state got “a fair amount of rain, while others were missed entirely” during the week ending September 8. It also said, “Growing worries about crop yields in the driest areas as crops show signs of stress.”
In general, Kentucky’s corn condition was ranked as very poor (2%), poor (8%), fair (21%), good (56%), and excellent (13%).
Kansas
Farmers in Kansas worked hard the week ending September 8 to get the corn crop to 14%, which is the same level of progress as the previous year. After five years, the average is 10%.
Because there were 6.5 days that were good for working in the fields, 10% more corn was gathered than the week before.
The USDA said that the state of the corn in Kansas was 10% very poor, 17% poor, 32% fair, 32% good, and 9% excellent.
Missouri
The week ending September 8 saw 13% of Missouri’s corn crop being gathered, which is 8% more than the week before.
That means the state’s corn crop is 6 percentage points higher than it was last year and 9 percentage points higher than the average over the last five years.
Missouri has the best corn of the 18 states that grow corn, with 82% of its corn being ranked as good or excellent. The crop got scores of 2% very poor, 3% poor, 13% fair, 61% good, and 21% excellent.
Illinois
The Illinois corn harvest hit 2% by the end of the week ending September 8. This was up from 0% the week before. That’s the same as it was last year and just above the 1% average over the last five years.
“Mostly because of the severe tar spot disease that killed the corn early,” said Syngenta Agronomist Phil Krieg as the corn harvest began in southeastern Illinois. Krieg said this about yields: “Where tar spot went uncontrolled, yields have been as much as 50 [bushels] per acre below expected yields.”
In Illinois, 2% of the corn was ranked as very poor, 4% as poor, 19% as fair, 58% as good, and 17% as excellent.
Indiana
Indiana’s grain corn harvest hit 1% in the week ending September 8. In the past five years, that number has averaged 0%. It was 0% a year ago before that.
The corn in Indiana got grades of 3% very poor, 6% poor, 23% fair, 54% good, and 14% excellent.
Nebraska
The last of the top nine states where corn was gathered for grain by the USDA is Nebraska. Iowa’s corn yield was 1%, the same as last year and the same as the average over the last five years.
The USDA gave Nebraska’s corn a score of 4% very poor, 8% poor, 21% fair, 45% good, and 22% excellent [source: USDA].