By Julie Ingwersen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture said U.S. farmers had planted 72% of their intended corn acres as of Sunday, ahead of the average estimate of 68% in a Reuters analyst poll.
In a report released on Monday, the USDA said corn planting progress advanced from 49% a week earlier but was still behind the five-year average for this time of year of 79%.
Pre-report trade estimates from 13 analysts surveyed by Reuters ranged from 63% to 74%.
Soybean planting was 50% complete by Sunday, the USDA said, up from 30% a week earlier. The figure was ahead of the average analyst estimate of 49% but behind the five-year average of 55%.
Spring wheat planting progress lagged, reflecting poor weather and excessive moisture this month in the northern U.S. Plains. The USDA said spring wheat seeding was 49% complete, below the lowest in a range of trade estimates and well behind the five-year average of 83%.
For winter wheat, the USDA rated 28% of the crop in good-to-excellent condition, up 1 percentage point from the previous week and in line with the average analyst estimate.
Despite the improvement, ratings are still among the lowest on record for this time of year. Winter wheat good-to-excellent ratings have been below 30% for the 20th week of the calendar year only three other times in USDA records dating to the late 1980s – in 2014, 1996 and 1989.
Drought persists in two-thirds of the U.S. winter wheat production area, the USDA said separately, as the crop nears maturity. Most winter wheat will be harvested in June and July.
All figures in percent:
Category Analyst Analyst USDA USDA
average range last this
week week
Corn planted (percent) 68 63-74 49 72
Soybeans planted (percent) 49 43-55 30 50
Spring wheat planted (percent) 56 50-68 39 49
Winter wheat conditions* 28 26-32 27 28
*Percent good/excellent
(Reporting by Julie Ingwersen in Chicago; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
