US corn crop condition remains at season low

The condition of the US corn crop remains at its lowest level of the current season. As of August 30, USDA rated 57% of the crop in good or excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but well below 69% at the same time last year.

Another 26% of the US corn crop was rated fair, while the share rated poor or very poor reached 17%. The weaker crop condition is adding to market concerns about yield potential ahead of the start of the main harvest.

At the same time, corn development remains ahead of the normal seasonal pace. Some 92% of the crop had reached the dough stage, compared with the five-year average of 89%, while 62% had reached the dented stage versus the average of 56%. About 13% of the crop was mature, in line with the five-year average.

US soybean conditions also deteriorated, with the share rated good or excellent falling from 60% to 58% over the week, compared with 65% a year earlier. Crop development remains ahead of average, with 95% of soybeans setting pods versus the five-year average of 93%, while 13% were dropping leaves compared with the average of 9%.

The US spring wheat and oat harvests are also running ahead of the normal pace. As of August 30, farmers had harvested 77% of the spring wheat crop, compared with the five-year average of 68%, while 94% of the oat crop had been harvested versus the average of 87%.

Tags: corn, USA, crop condition