Corn Silking Behind Average as Crop Conditions Hold Strong

Today, USDA published the 16th Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers.

Corn

As of July 20, 56% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had reached the silking stage. That puts progress behind the five-year average of 58%.

USDA said 14% of the crop across 16 states had reached the dough stage. The five-year average is 12%.

Only Colorado and North Dakota did not have any corn silking to report.

The agency reported the condition of the nation’s corn crop as follows:

• Good/excellent: 74%
• Fair: 20%
• Poor/very poor: 6%

Soybeans

The USDA said that as of July 20, 62% of the soybean crop across the top 18 soybean-growing states had reached the blooming stage, just shy of the five-year average of 63%.

Twenty-six percent of the crop in all 18 states had reached the setting pods stage, on track with the five-year average.

For the week that ended July 20, the condition of the nation’s soybeans was as follows:

• Good/excellent: 68%
• Fair: 25%
• Poor/very poor: 7%

Winter Wheat

The USDA reported that 73% of the winter wheat crop across the top 18 states had been harvested as of July 20, just ahead of the five-year average of 72%.

Spring Wheat

In the six spring wheat-growing states, 87% of the crop had headed as of July 20. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 88%.

The condition of the spring wheat crop was as follows:

• Good/excellent: 52%
• Fair: 32%
• Poor/very poor: 16%

Oats

Across the nine top oat-growing states, 96% of the crop had headed as of July 20, ahead of the five-year average of 95%.

Harvested oats across all nine states reached 20%, on track with the five-year average.

The condition of the nation’s oat crop was as follows:

• Good/excellent: 58%
• Fair: 24%
• Poor/very poor: 18%