19 May 2020, 14:38, World

US corn sowing progress twice as high as in 2019

As of May 17, corn sowing campaign in the US was completed on 80% of the planned areas (2019: 44%) compared to an average of 71% over the past five years, USDA reports.

As reported by Karen Braun, Global Agriculture Columnist at Thomson Reuters, corn sowing pace is the highest since 2015.

Soybean was sown by 53% of areas, which is 37 and 15 pp more from the respective period of the previous year and the average for the previous 5 years.

American producers continue sowing spring wheat and as of May 17, 60% of the area under the crop was sown (2019: 63%), compared to 80% on average for the previous 5 years.

Winter wheat crops condition on the reporting date:

  • excellent — 8% of plantings (16% in the comparative period of 2019);
  • good — 44% (50%);
  • fair — 32% (26%);
  • poor — 11% (6%);
  • very poor — 5% (2%).

According to the USDA report, 56% of winter wheat is in the heading phase (51% a year ago and 62% on average over 5 years).

Previously reported that as of May 14, early spring grain, leguminous and industrial crops in Ukraine were sown on an area of 14.1 mln ha or 91% of the planned 15.56 mln ha. Spring wheat, barley, oats, peas and sugar beet campaigns are complete.