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USDA Crop Progress Report: Good Weather For Harvest.

Oct 13, 2015

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USDA released the weekly Crop Progress Report.

Harvest continues to progress well.

Here is the link to the full report for more information and state breakdowns.

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-10-13-2015.pdf

Some of the highlights from this report.

The USDA reports late U.S. corn and soybean development is slightly ahead of average.

As of Sunday, 94% of corn has reached maturity, compared to the five year average of 91%, and 42% is harvested, just a little bit behind the normal pace. 68% of corn is in good to excellent condition, unchanged on the week.

92% of soybeans are dropping leaves, compared to 91% on average, and 62% is harvested, compared to 54% typically this time of year. 64% of the crop is rated good to excellent, steady with a week ago.

64% of winter wheat is planted and 33% has emerged, both slightly slower than normal.

43% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are called good to excellent, down 1% from last week.

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.