Above average temperatures blanketed most of the Nation, except in the Pacific Northwest, northern Plains, and areas from the Mid-Atlantic Coast stretching northward into Maine.In the Southwest, Southeast, Tennessee Valley, and areas northward into the southern Corn Belt, temperatures were above normal by as much as 6-9 degrees Fahrenheit.Heavy rains fell from the central Great Plains eastward through the Corn Belt to the Mid-Atlantic Coast, adding significantly to soil moisture and causing lowland flooding.Scattered showers fell throughout the Southeast providing only minimal relief to the drought conditions. Elsewhere, in the western half of the country, conditions remained mostly dry.
Corn: Ninety-one percent of the crop was at or beyond the dough stage, 63 percent was at or beyond the dent stage, and 12 percent had matured.Corn reaching the dough stage was 8 points ahead of the 5-year average pace, while denting and corn already mature were 14 points and 3 points ahead of normal, respectively.During the week, corn steadily advanced with doughing in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin more than 8 points ahead of normal.Nearly one-fifth or more of the crop in most of the Corn Belt, as well as in North Dakota and Pennsylvania, entered the dent stage during the week.The crop rapidly matured in the Tennessee Valley and North Carolina under hot, mostly dry
conditions.
Soybeans: Pods were setting in 96 percent of the crop, 2 percent ahead of normal, while 6 percent of the average was dropping leaves, 1 point behind last year but 1 point ahead of the 5-year average.Pod setting was nearing completion in all States except Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and North Carolina, where most of the week's activity occurred.Soybeans entered the leaf dropping stage rapidly across the Delta and in Tennessee during the week, with Tennessee's crop progressing more than a week ahead of the normal pace.
Cotton: Acreage at or beyond the boll setting stage, at 92 percent, was 6 points and 4 points behind last year and normal, respectively.Twenty-four percent of the crop had open bolls, 3 points behind last year but 1 point ahead of average.Boll setting was nearly complete in all States, except Oklahoma and Texas, where progress was behind average by 9 and 15 percent, respectively.Meanwhile, bolls opened at a rapid pace in California, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, progressing more than 22 points during the week under warm, sunny conditions. Compared with the 5-year average, bolls opened 18 points or more ahead of the normal pace in the northern part of the Delta.
Sorghum: Ninety-four percent of the Nation's sorghum had reached the heading stage, while 54 percent had colored, 22 percent reached maturity, and 16 percent of the crop was harvested.Both heading and coloring were ahead of last year and normal, while maturation and harvest were behind last year's pace but the same as the 5-year average.Sorghum heading reached completion in South Dakota with progress in all States at or ahead of normal except Missouri and New Mexico.One-fifth or more of the crop entered the coloring stage during the week in the central Great Plains and Illinois. The crop slowly matured in all States except in the Delta and Illinois, where progress was more rapid.Harvest activity occurred in the Delta, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, with more than 50 percent harvested in Louisiana and Texas.
Rice: Ninety-seven percent of the crop had reached the heading stage, 2 points ahead of last year and 3 points ahead of the 5-year average.Heading was nearly complete everywhere except in California.Sixteen percent of acreage had been harvested, 2 points ahead of the normal pace.Most of the harvest activity was limited to Louisiana and Texas, where 69 and 70 percent of the crop had been reaped, respectively.
Small Grains:Eighty-nine percent of barley acreage had been harvested, 5 points ahead of last year and 18 points ahead of average.Harvest progressed well ahead of normal in all States except Washington, where harvest was only 3 points ahead of average.
The spring wheat crop was 87 percent harvested, 3 points behind last year but 18 points ahead of the 5-year average.Harvest steadily advanced during the week, with progress in Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota 14 points or more ahead of normal.
Oat harvest, at 98 percent complete, was winding down across the country with all States complete except Minnesota, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, which were all nearly complete.Nationwide, oat harvest was ahead of the normal pace by 5 points.