How is the US corn harvest?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) forecast, harvest continues across much of the Midwest, and a few showers in the northern Corn Belt will slow the rest of the week. Sixty-two percent of U.S. soybeans were harvested early in the week, up from 43% the previous week, the agency said in a statement. This is higher than the five-year average of 52%.

About 52% of Sunday’s harvest was in good or better condition, up one percentage point from the previous week. Corn collection is 45% complete, up from 34% seven days ago and slightly higher than this year’s normal of 42%, the government said. Fifty-three percent of the harvest was in good or better condition, unchanged from week to week.

The USDA’s World Agriculture Outlook Board said in a statement yesterday that rain is expected in the upper Midwest through the weekend. Rain will spread east of the Mississippi River later in the week, the agency said. This may be the place where the harvest is interrupted. “Precipitation will be light with the exception of frontal showers in the Midwest and East,” the USDA said. “Actually, there should be no rain from California to the central and southern plains.”

Strong winds are expected in parts of South Dakota today, with gusts as high as 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph are expected in central parts of the state, the NWS said in a statement this morning.