The corn crop improved to 75% good to excellent in the latest week, up from 72% a week ago and 74% a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.

Soybeans were 72% good to excellent in the season’s first condition rating for that crop, topping the year-ago reading of 69%.

The weekly progress report put corn planting at 98% completed, up from the 97% average, while soybean planting was 94% completed to top the 85% pace last year and the five-year average.

In Iowa, where 100% of the corn was planted and 97% was emerged, the first rating of the season put that crop at 3% poor,17% fair, 64% good and 16% excellent.

“Producers in the northern third of the state were still struggling with some wet spots in fields,” the Iowa report said.

A mostly dry week in Indiana allowed farmers to plant most of their corn and make progress on soybeans. Irrigation was used in some areas to help with emergence and aid crop health, the state report said. Indiana's corn was 94% planted and soybeans were 82% planted.

The condition rating for winter wheat slipped one point to 62% good to excellent. The crop was 2% harvested, with most that being in California and Texas.  No harvest percentage was reported for Kansas, but the state report said a few fields had been cut.

Wheat was 16% harvested in Texas, 5% in Oklahoma and 30% in California.

Spring wheat emergence was at 96%, and the crop was rated 79% good to excellent, with the excellent rating going to 11% from last week’s 9%. North Dakota’s crop was at 84% good to excellent.

Nationally, sorghum was 58% planted versus 52% a year ago and the average of 62%. Cotton was 7% squaring versus 6% a year ago and the 8% average. The first rating of the season put the cotton crop at 47% good/excellent, compared with 50% a year ago.