USDA Crop Progress Report: Farmers Catching Up.

Apr 24, 2017

USDA News

The USDA released the weekly Crop Progress Report.

Improved weather and soil conditions for U.S. corn planting allowed farmers to make up a lot of ground over the past week.

The USDA says there were limited planting opportunities in parts of the Midwest, but when producers were able to get in the fields, they apparently made it count.

As of Sunday, 17% of U.S. corn is planted, compared to 6% a week ago and the five year average of 18%. 4% of corn has emerged, matching the usual pace.

Soybean planting is 6% complete, compared to 3% both a year ago and normally this time of year.

54% of U.S. winter wheat is rated good to excellent, unchanged on the week, and 32% has headed, compared to 23% on average. 22% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 34% typically, and 5% has emerged.

70% of the U.S. has adequate soil moisture levels.

For the full report and state by state information visit the following link.

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-04-24-2017.pdf

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.