(Bloomberg) – U.S. farmers accelerated corn and soybean planting last week ahead of weekend rains in the Midwest that will spur seed emergence and plant growth.
About 71 percent of the corn crop was sown as of yesterday, up from 53 percent a week earlier and 32 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a report. The average for the previous five years is 47 percent, and the record for the 17th week of the year was 81 percent in 2010.
An estimated 32 percent of the plants had emerged from the ground, compared with 15 percent a week earlier and 6 percent a year earlier, the USDA said. The average emergence for the prior five years was 13 percent.
About 24 percent of the soybean crop was planted, compared with 12 percent a week earlier and the previous five-year average of 11 percent, the USDA said.
To contact the reporter on this story:Jeff Wilson in Chicago at jwilson29@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net.
