After a wet and cold spring that delayed planting, the U.S. corn and soybean crops now are ahead of the usual pace for development, says the weekly Crop Progress report. Some 34 percent of the corn crop is silking, one point ahead of the five-year average and double the rating one year ago. And 41 percent of soybeans are blooming, 2 points ahead of average and 17 points ahead of the 2013 crop for the second week of July.
USDA said 76 percent of the corn crop and 72 percent of soybeans were in good or excellent condition. A year ago, when corn was on its way to a record crop, 66 percent of the crop rated as good or excellent. Corn was in its best mid-July condition since 1999, when 78 percent was rated as good or excellent, said CattleNetwork.