U.S. Corn Condition Slips for Second Week in a Row

Today, the USDA published the 20th Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers.

Corn

As of Aug. 17, 97% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had reached the silking stage. Progress is just shy of the five-year average of 98%.

The USDA said 72% of the nation’s corn crop had reached the dough stage, one point behind the five-year average.

Twenty-seven percent of the crop across all top states had reached the dent stage by Aug. 17, which is one percentage point ahead of average.

This was the first report that included how much corn across top states has reached maturity. USDA reported 3% of the crop across seven states had reached maturity, on track with the five-year average.

The agency reported the condition of the corn crop in the 18 top states as follows:

• Good/excellent: 71%
• Fair: 21%
• Poor/very poor: 8%

With that, corn in good/excellent shape decreased one percentage point for the second week in a row.

Soybeans

The USDA reported 95% of the soybean crop across the top 18 soybean-growing states had reached the blooming stage, on track with the five-year average.

Further, 82% percent of the crop in all 18 states had reached the setting pods stage, also on schedule with average.

The condition of soybeans in those 18 states was as follows:

• Good/excellent: 68%
• Fair: 24%
• Poor/very poor: 8%

Winter Wheat

The USDA reported 94% of the winter wheat crop across the top 18 states had been harvested as of Aug. 17, just behind the five-year average of 95%.

Spring Wheat

In the six spring wheat-growing states, 36% of the crop had been harvested as of Aug. 17, on track with the five-year average.

The condition of the spring wheat crop was as follows:

• Good/excellent: 50%
• Fair: 32%
• Poor/very poor: 18%

Oats

Across the nine top oat-growing states, 69% of the crop had been harvested as of Aug. 17, behind the five-year average of 70%.