After a week of favorable conditions in much of the U.S., farmers have caught up from a delayed start to harvest. Nearly a quarter of corn and soybeans are out of the fields.
According to the USDA’s crop progress report, 23% of both corn and soybeans have been harvested so far. That compares to 19% and 20%, respectively, at this time last year.
Large timespans of clear weather allowed many farmers time to make a sizeable dent in their acres harvested, though some still experienced rain delays throughout the week.
Conditions have dried after the rain delay so we head back to Soybean #harvest23 #HarvestMoon pic.twitter.com/swNEdwjqI7
— Brandon Petty (@brandonjpetty) October 2, 2023
This Missouri farmer exceeded his expectations as he moved through his corn acres.
Combines started in on our corn today. Yield is a lot better than we expected. #agchat #harvest23 #blessed pic.twitter.com/e25xMYN56X
— Kurtis Gregory (@KurtisGregory51) October 2, 2023
The harvest moon gave additional light to many working late in the fields as well.
Corn harvest under the rising Harvest Moon. Boone County, Iowa. #harvest23 pic.twitter.com/gEglQ4DJ58
— Roger A Weyhrich Imagery (@weyhrichimagery) September 29, 2023
States that have completed the most acres of corn harvested include North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. Louisiana and Mississippi have harvested the most soybeans.
USDA lists the majority of crops harvested so far in the “fair” and “good” categories, with the amount of soybeans in the “poor” condition category still slightly up from last year.
Looking toward the coming week for harvest conditions, summer-like heat will allow for significant harvest progress, however, a significant cooldown is on the horizon. Storms and showers are projected for much of the U.S. later into the week.
Click here to share how harvest is going in your area.
