corn | ý Our Members Bring Choice, Value & Innovation to Agriculture Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:59:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.4 /wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fema-favicon-75x75.png corn | ý 32 32 Planting Progress: All 18 States Report Corn Emergence /news/ag/planting-progress-all-18-states-report-corn-emergence/ Mon, 18 May 2026 22:34:41 +0000 /?p=35821 On Monday, the USDA published the seventh  of the 2026 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest progress and condition numbers.

Corn

As of May 17, 76% of this year’s corn crop has been planted in the , according to the USDA. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 70%.

The USDA said 39% of the corn crop in all 18 states states has emerged, which is ahead of the five-year average of 37%.

Soybeans

As of May 17, 67% of the soybean crop in the nation’s  was in the ground. That’s markedly ahead of the five-year average of 53%.

The USDA said 32% of the soybean crop in all 18 states has emerged, which is ahead of the five-year average of 23%.

Winter Wheat

The USDA reported that 71% of the winter wheat crop across 17 of the  has headed as of May 17. The five-year average is 58%.

Winter wheat condition for the week that ended May 17 was as follows:

  • Good/excellent: 27%
  • Fair: 30%
  • Poor/very poor: 43%

Last week at this time, 28% of the crop was in good/excellent condition. Last year at this time, 52% of the crop was in good/excellent condition.

Spring Wheat

In the , 73% of the spring wheat crop has been planted, ahead of the five-year average of 66%.

Across the six states, 39% of the spring wheat crop had emerged as of May 17, ahead of the five-year average of 34%.

Oats

Across the , 87% of planting is complete, according to the USDA. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 82%.

Sixty-two percent of the oat crop across the nine states has emerged, just behind the five-year average of 63%.

The oat crop condition for the week that ended May 17 was as follows:

  • Good/excellent: 46%
  • Fair: 31%
  • Poor/very poor: 23%

Source:

]]> Cost of Producing Corn & Soybeans in Illinois /news/cost-of-producing-corn-soybeans-in-illinois/ Fri, 23 May 2025 15:23:37 +0000 /?p=31992 In 2024, total economic costs per acre for growing corn in Illinois averaged between $1,154 in the southern section and $1,251 in central areas with high-rated soils. Soybean costs ranged from $863 to $931 per acre. Southern Illinois had lower costs primarily due to lower land expenses. Costs per bushel varied, with corn ranging from $5.09 to $5.86 and soybeans from $12.42 to $15.41, influenced by weather, yields, and land quality.

Compared to 2023, corn production costs per bushel decreased across all regions, with lower fertility, power, and land costs driving reductions of up to 66 cents. Corn yields increased statewide, averaging 235 bushels per acre—seven bushels higher than the previous record. Soybean costs per bushel fell in most regions, except southern Illinois, where lower yields led to increased costs. Soybean production costs per acre declined across the state.

For 2025, projected corn and soybean costs are expected to decrease by 4% due to lower soil fertility expenses, though lower grain prices may offset savings. This data, provided by the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association, highlights key agricultural cost trends shaping Illinois crop production.

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]]> Planting Progress Shows Strong Early Season Gains /news/ag/planting-progress-show-strong-early-season-gains/ Fri, 09 May 2025 18:10:42 +0000 /?p=31897 The USDA released its eighth Crop Progress Report of the 2025 growing season on May 5. Here’s a look at the most recent corn, soy, wheat, and oat numbers:

Corn crop progress: As of May 4, 40% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had been planted. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 39%.

Eleven percent of the corn crop had emerged across 16 of the top corn-growing states as of May 4. That’s ahead of the five-year average by 2 percentage points.

Soybean crop progress: The USDA said that as of May 4, 30% of the soybean crop across all top 18 states had been planted. That’s notably ahead of the five-year average of 23%.

Winter wheat progress: The USDA reported that 39% of the winter wheat crop across 12 of the top 18 states had headed as of May 4. The five-year average is 33%.

For the week ending May 4, the condition of the nation’s winter wheat crop was as follows: Good/excellent: 51%, Fair: 31% and Poor/very poor: 18%.

Spring wheat progress: In the top six spring wheat-growing states, 44% of the crop had been planted as of May 4. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 34%.

Thirteen percent of the spring wheat crop had emerged across all six states by May 4.

Oat crop progress: Across the nine top oat-growing states, 71% of the season’s planting is complete, according to the USDA. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 64%.

A total of 69% of the crop has emerged, across all nine states, 48% of the oat crop had emerged by May 4, five points ahead of the five-year average.

Source:

]]> Planting Progress Leaps Forward, But Behind Average /news/planting-progress-leaps-forward-but-behind-average/ Thu, 23 May 2024 21:27:28 +0000 /?p=28259 The USDA released its eighth Crop Progress Report of the 2024 growing season on May 20. Here’s a look at the most recent corn, soy, wheat, and oat numbers:

Corn crop progress: The USDA says as of May 19, 70% of the 2024 corn crop has been planted in the top 18 corn-growing states. This is up from 49% the week prior but still behind the five-year average of 71%. This is the third consecutive week corn planting progress has fallen behind the average pace.
Corn is emerging in all of those states, with 40% out of the ground. That’s up from 23% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 39%.

Soybean crop progress: USDA says soybean planting progress is at 52%, up from 35% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 49%. Soybeans have emerged in all of the top 18 growing states, with 26% out of the ground. That’s up from 16% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 21%.

Winter wheat progress: USDA says 69% of winter wheat has headed across 17 of the top 18 growing states. This is up from 57% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 57%.

Spring wheat progress: The USDA says spring wheat planting progress in the top six growing states is at 79%, up from 61% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 65%.
A total of 43% is out of the ground, up from 25% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 33%.

Oat crop progress: The USDA says across all nine of the top oat-growing states, 87% of the crop has been planted, up from 78% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 82%.
A total of 69% of the crop has emerged, up from 59% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 63%.

Source:

]]> Soybean Acreage Has Outpaced Corn and Wheat Since 2000 /news/soybean-acreage-has-outpaced-corn-and-wheat-since-2000/ Fri, 23 Jun 2023 14:23:47 +0000 /?p=23735 Between 2002 and 2022, soybeans were the second-most planted crop in the United States, behind corn. The exception was in 2018 when acreage planted to soybeans surpassed corn. While the total acres planted to soybeans generally have been less than to corn, the rate of growth in soybean sowings has exceeded corn since the early 2000s.

Soybean planted acreage grew by 18 percent, from 74 million in 2002 to 87 million in 2022, while corn planted acreage increased by 12 percent in the same period. In contrast to this growth, wheat planted acres declined 22 percent over the same 20-year period–with some wheat acres shifting into soybeans.

While net gains in soybean acres planted have been sizable, growth over the past two decades has not been steady. From 2002 to 2006, gains were modest, followed by a sharp decline in 2007 when biofuel policy increased the demand and price for corn. Increased profitability for corn shifted many acres out of soybeans and into corn production.

After 2007, and for the next several years, generally improving profit margins reinvigorated soybean plantings, which continued their upward trajectory, peaking in 2017 at 90 million acres. Acreage fell slightly in 2018 and more sharply in 2019 to 76 million acres–the lowest since 2011–after China’s trade restrictions reduced global demand for U.S. soybeans, which caused soybean prices to fall. Heavy spring rains in 2019 contributed further to the reduction in soybean plantings, but planted acreage partially recovered in the following years.

]]> Deere Predicts ‘Total Autonomy’ by 2030 /news/deere-predicts-total-autonomy-by-2030/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 21:32:09 +0000 /?p=20672 Deere & Co. says corn and soybean production in the US could be fully autonomous by 2030.

Farmers already are paying Deere to use automation technology for tillage work this autumn, and the company is exploring recurring revenue models that will allow growers to use such enhancements as needed.

“We’re committing to have a total autonomy and automation solution for corn and soy in the US,” Chief Financial Officer Josh Jepsen said Wednesday on a conference call with investors. Advancements have been proving that “it’s technically possible, and I am really excited about it.”

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]]> Low Commodity Prices Add Stress to Tight Farm Budgets /news/low-commodity-prices-add-stress-to-tight-farm-budgets/ Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:41:33 +0000 /?p=11404 Despite a wind storm tearing through Midwestern farms last month and drought conditions in isolated areas, a bumper crop of both corn and soybeans is expected this year, according to commodity brokers and boots-on-the-ground observers.

Pro Farmer took a week-long tour of farmland across seven states recently and assessed the national corn yield at 177.5 bushels per acre and national soybean yield at 52.5. That is slightly lower than earlier USDA estimates but higher than 2019’s waterlogged crop.

In August, many commodity prices bounced, and according to the Ag Economy Barometer, sentiment improved.

That said, for many U.S. farmers, the prospect of grain prices staying low is untenable. “It’s almost a day-to-day struggle to decide what to do next year,” said Doug Sombke, a South Dakota farmer.

Sombke says his local grain elevator is paying $2.87 for a bushel of corn. That is nearly a dollar lower than what he would need to collect to break even. The same is true for his soybeans, for which the elevator is paying roughly $8.50 a bushel.

Prices for corn and soybeans haven’t risen since the start of the year, when the signing of the U.S.-China phase-one trade stipulated China would purchase $36.5 billion of agricultural goods from the U.S.

Government aid has helped mitigate the financial damage of low commodity prices, but farmers say it is only a Band-Aid.

“We in the ag economy really appreciate the assistance we got from the federal government,” said Richard Guebert Jr., president of the Illinois Farm Bureau and a farmer of corn, soybeans and wheat. “But we really wish to get our revenue from the market.”

Source: Pro Farmer

]]> Farmers Plant 5 Million Fewer Acres of Corn /shortliner/farmers-plant-5-million-fewer-acres-of-corn/ Tue, 14 Jul 2020 17:53:40 +0000 /?p=11109 U.S. farmers planted nearly 5 million fewer acres of corn this spring than estimated by the U.S. government in March, the biggest cut in 37 years.
The coronavirus continues to roil demand for the crop.

The drop in corn seedings, as well as an 11.1 percent cut in cotton plantings, accounted for the bulk of the USDA’s 7.2 million-acre reduction to its estimate of major crops seeded this spring.

Soybean plantings fell below market expectations, with export demand in focus due to uncertainty about purchases from China arising from trade tensions.

“We were planting into peak fear,” said Ted Seifried, chief ag market strategist of the Zaner Group. “There was poor pricing, poor outlook in the market … some guys not able to get into the fields—and we were in the middle of the pandemic.”

Also contributing: Demand for corn-based ethanol fuel dropped sharply in the spring as drivers stayed at home during lockdowns, making corn less appealing to farmers.

Source: Reuters

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