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U.S. corn crop enters dough stage

U.S. corn crop enters dough stage
Jul 08, 2026
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

About 3 percent of national corn acres are in this stage

The U.S. corn crop is coming along as it enters the dough stage (R4).

About 3 percent of national corn acres, or around 2.86 million acres, are in this stage, the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin for July 7 says.

For context, farmers in Michigan planted about 2.25 million acres of corn in 2026.

Corn in Texas is the furthest along.

More than half of the state’s 2.45 million acres of corn is in the dough stage.

Corn in Tennessee and North Carolina is next with 23 and 25 percent of respective corn crops in the dough stage.

10 percent of Kentucky’s corn is in this stage, while other major corn states are in single digits or have no corn in this stage per the USDA’s report.

The U.S. soybean crop is progressing too.

About 9 percent of national soybean acres, or about 7.69 million acres, are setting pods.

This acreage is close to the 7.1 million acres of soybeans Minnesota farmers planted this year.

Six of the 18 major soybean states have crops in the double digits in terms of pod setting.

Louisiana, for example, reports 71 percent of its 880,000 planted acres of soybeans, are in this stage.

Just over half of Mississippi’s soybeans, 59 percent of soybeans in Arkansas, and 25 percent of the soybeans in Tennessee are setting pods.

Only the Dakotas are reporting no soybeans are setting pods.

About 54 percent of the spring wheat crop is headed and combines continue to roll throughout winter wheat fields.

59 percent of winter wheat is harvested, the USDA’s report says. This is up from 48 percent last week.

On a state basis, farmers in multiple states are nearing the end of the harvest.

Farmers in Arkansas, Kansas, North Carolina, and Oklahoma are reporting more than 90 percent of their winter wheat harvested.


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