Monday's weekly USDA-NASS Crop Progress report shows 26% of the U.S. corn crop is in the bin, up from 15% a week ago. That's a full 17% ahead of the average pace overall, and key states like Illinois at 36% complete and Iowa at 22% are way ahead of the normal pace (23% and 20%, respectively).
Though still in its early stages, soybean harvest is also ahead of the normal pace; as of Sunday, 10% of the U.S. bean crop is out of the field, up from 4% last week. Four percent is also the normal harvest pace for soybeans by this week.
"Three years ago in 2009, the national corn harvest did not surpass 26% done until the second day of November! The Illinois corn harvest is more than one-third done, with over half of the harvest done in Kansas, Kentucky, and Missouri," says Freese-Notis Weather, Inc., senior ag meteorologist Craig Solberg. "The national soybean harvest at ten percent done as of September 16 also appears to be the most ever for that date, with about 6% done in 2000 and 2006 being the biggest amounts prior to this year."
