Soybean Harvest Tops 90% as Corn Trails Five-Year Pace

By Daniel Okafor

Soybean harvest reached 92% complete in USDA’s latest Crop Progress report, released Monday afternoon and covering the week through Nov. 8. Corn harvest stood at 81%, while winter wheat planting reached 89%.

Compared with their five-year averages, soybean harvest stood one point ahead, corn five points behind and winter wheat planting one point behind. The late-season report focused mainly on harvest data as the season moved toward completion.

For growers timing fieldwork, national percentages set only the broad pace. A farm in a lagging state cannot infer its remaining workload from a more advanced national average. State numbers show where combines and grain deliveries may remain active longest.

Where does corn harvest stand?

Corn harvest advanced from 74% a week earlier to 81% through Sunday, a seven-point weekly gain. It remained five points below the prior five-year average of 86% and one point below the average trade estimate of 82%. Individual trade estimates ranged from 72% to 90%.

Michigan, at 61%, Pennsylvania at 67% and South Dakota at 68% were furthest behind among the top 18 corn-production states. By subtraction, that left 39%, 33% and 32%, respectively, still unharvested.

Michigan and Pennsylvania therefore entered the reporting week with at least one-third of their corn standing. The gap against the national 81% rate means operators there should base harvest, transport and delivery planning on local progress, not the headline.

Has soybean harvest moved ahead of average?

Soybean harvest rose from 88% to 92%, a four-point gain, and finished one point ahead of the prior five-year average of 91%. It missed the average trade estimate of 93% by one point, while individual estimates ranged from 88% to 95%.

North Carolina at 62%, Kansas at 78% and Missouri at 84% had the largest shares left among the top 18 soybean-production states. Their unfinished crops stood at 38%, 22% and 16%, respectively.

The national average conceals those state gaps. An operator in North Carolina, for example, still had 38% of soybeans standing despite 92% national completion. Local progress remains more useful than the headline for commercial scheduling.

What else is coming off the field?

Other regional harvests also advanced:

• Cotton reached 71%, up from 56% last week.
• Sorghum reached 70%, up from 64%.
• Peanuts reached 77%, up from 66%.
• Sugarbeets reached 90%, up from 86%.
• Sunflowers reached 74%, up from 61%.

Sugarbeets led the group at 90%, while 29% of cotton, 30% of sorghum, 23% of peanuts and 26% of sunflowers remained. For diversified operations, that creates staggered fieldwork rather than one synchronized harvest window.

How close is winter wheat planting to completion?

Winter wheat planting advanced from 83% to 89%, a six-point gain through Nov. 8. It trailed the prior five-year average of 90% by one point and matched the average analyst estimate of 90%. Individual trade guesses ranged from 83% to 93%.

Reported emergence, meaning seedlings breaking through the soil, rose from 65% to 76%, an 11-point increase. With 89% of the crop planted and 76% emerged, the report showed 13% of the crop planted but not yet emerged.

USDA’s condition ratings improved moderately. It placed 49% of winter wheat in the "good to excellent" condition category, about 35% in fair condition, down three points from the previous week. The remaining 16% carried poor or very poor ratings, down two points. The report did not give a prior-week good-to-excellent percentage, so the size of any shift into the top category cannot be quantified.

What should farmers watch next?

Three signals deserve attention in the next weekly USDA update: whether corn closes its five-point gap to normal, whether the lagging states keep reducing their unfinished shares, and whether winter wheat planting approaches its 90% five-year average.

Soybeans warrant separate monitoring because 92% sits between a 91% five-year average and a 93% trade consensus. A one-point change can alter the apparent pace, but state-level completion in North Carolina, Kansas and Missouri matters more to local buyers.

USDA also provides state-by-state topsoil and subsoil moisture readings and days suitable for fieldwork, alongside the wider harvest and wheat tables. Farmers should check those local measures before committing crews or equipment.

The next weekly USDA update should show whether corn can erase its five-point deficit, whether soybeans retain their one-point edge over average and whether winter wheat’s 13-point planting-to-emergence gap narrows.