US Crop Progress Report: Busy Week of Planting.

May 27, 2014

U.S. corn and soybean planting made a strong advance over the past week, thanks to very good conditions in some key growing areas. Still, parts of the Northern Midwest remain slower than normal due to wet weather and cool soil temperatures.

Corn: As of Sunday, 88% of this year’s corn crop is planted, compared to 84% this time last year and the five year average of 88%. 60% of corn has emerged, compared to 49% a year ago and 64% on average.

Soybeans: 59% are planted, compared to 41% last year and 56% on average, with 25% emerged, compared to 12% a year ago and 27% on average.

Winter wheat: actually improved a little last week, but it’s too late in the season to make all that much of a difference, with 70% of the crop headed, compared to the five year average of 69%. 30% of winter wheat is rated good to excellent, up 1% on the week, with 44% called poor to very poor, which was unchanged.

Spring Wheat: 74% of spring wheat is planted, compared to 82% on average, with 43% emerged, compared to 57% on average.

Pastures and Rangelands: 46% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent condition, 2% above a week ago.

For the complete USDA Crop Progress Report for May 27, 2014 click here: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-05-27-2014.pdf

Click here to see more...

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.