Analysts Estimate U.S. Soy Harvest as 58% Complete, Corn 44%

CHICAGO, Oct. 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. soybean harvest crossed the halfway mark last week and corn harvesting advanced, but progress lagged behind last year’s unusually fast pace, according to a Reuters poll of 10 analysts on Monday.

Farmers were harvesting the biggest U.S. corn crop in history and a bumper soy crop.

On average, the analysts estimated the soybean crop was 58% harvested by Sunday and the corn harvest was 44% complete. Estimates ranged widely from 52% to 70% for soybeans and 35% to 55% for corn.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture normally publishes a weekly crop progress report each Monday afternoon, or on Tuesday after a federal holiday such as Monday’s Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day. But due to the ongoing government shutdown, no reports from the agency’s statistical arm were scheduled for release this week. The agency also did not issue a crop progress report last week.

A year ago at this time, the USDA reported that the soybean harvest was 67% complete, the fastest pace in more than a decade, and the corn harvest was 47% complete as dry conditions helped speed crops to maturity and minimize weather delays.

“This year the dry-down (of crops) has been a little bit slower,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities.

Analysts on average rated 64% of the U.S. corn crop in good-to-excellent condition, down 1 percentage point from the average in last week’s analyst poll. Analysts rated soybeans as 61% good to excellent, unchanged from last week’s trade average.

Farmers continue to plant the U.S. winter wheat crop that will be harvested in 2026. Analysts on average estimated winter wheat planting as 66% complete, up from last week’s average trade estimate of 50%.

All figures in percent: