In the latest crop progress report from USDA, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through September 27, the agency reports stable corn quality, along with a slower-than-expected harvest pace. In contrast, soybean quality improved by a point, with a harvest that is progressing faster than expected.

Sixty-one percent of this year’s corn crop is rated in good-to-excellent condition, with 25% of the crop rated fair, and with the remaining 14% rated poor or very poor. All of those numbers were identical to USDA’s September 21 report.

Harvest progress has reached 15% completion, up from 8% last week. Analysts were expecting a bit more progress, with an average trade guess of 17%. That’s also slightly behind the prior five-year average of 16%. Three-fourths of the crop is now fully mature, up from 59% a week ago and ahead of the prior five-year average of 65%.

This year’s soybean crop is quickly nearing the end of the season, too. Seventy-four percent of the crop is now dropping leaves, up from 59% last week and moving more swiftly than the prior five-year average of 69%. And USDA has marked harvest progress at 20%, jumping ahead of last week’s mark of 6%, as well as the prior five-year average of 15%. Analysts were expecting the agency to show 18% of the crop has been harvested.

Quality-wise, 64% of the crop is now rated in good-to-excellent condition, up a point from last week. Analysts had expected USDA to hold ratings steady. Another 26% is rated fair (down a point from last week), with the remaining 10% rated poor or very poor (unchanged from a week ago).

USDA is no longer reporting spring wheat harvest progress after noting 96% completion last week. The agency continues to update winter wheat planting progress, however. The 2020/21 crop is now 35% planted, up from 20% last week and slightly ahead of the prior five-year average of 33%. And 10% of the crop is now emerged, versus 3% a week ago and the prior five-year average of 8%.

Click here for updates on additional crops, including sorghum, cotton, sugarbeets, pasture and range conditions, and more.