Here’s the latest planting update excerpted from the June 30 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service bulletin (for week ending June 27):
Corn: Nationally, 4 percent of the corn crop was at or beyond the silking stage, 1 point behind last year a
nd 4 points behind the 5-year average. The most crop development had occurred in North Carolina and Texas, while silking had yet to begin in the Great Plains, Corn Belt, and Ohio Valley regions. Overall, 72 percent of the corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition, 2 points better than a week ago and an 11 point improvement from 2008.
Soybeans: Ninety-six percent of the 2009 soybean crop was planted by week’s end, 1 point ahead of the pace a year ago, but 2 points slower than the average. Emergence advanced 7 points during the week to 91 percent complete, 2 points ahead of the previous year, but 4 points behind the 5-year average. Aided by mostly sunny skies and above average temperatures, the most rapid crop development was evident in Tennessee, where 17 percent of the crop emerged during the week. Blooming, at 5 percent complete, was on par with the previous year, but 5 points behind normal. The crop was most advanced in the Delta, with Mississippi leading all States with 59 percent of the soybean acreage at or beyond the blooming stage. Sixty-eight percent of the crop was rated in good to excellent condition, compared with 67 percent last week and 58 percent a year ago.