The USDA’s latest Crop Progress and Conditions report, released August 4, 2025, delivered a snapshot of US row crops, with near-ideal growing weather and high condition ratings setting the stage for what could prove a record-setting harvest for corn. Corn crops remain in robust shape, 73% rated good-to-excellent (g/e) with silking virtually complete across the Corn Belt. Soybeans, at 69% g/e and 85% blooming, are tracking close behind. Meanwhile, the winter wheat harvest pushed ahead to 86% completion, 1% behind its five-year average.
The confluence of favorable agronomics and timely summer rains has invoked optimism among market players, some of whom now project national corn yields more than 185 bushels per acre—a level that, if realized, could translate into larger than expected corn crop. Soybean yield prospects remain similarly stout, while wheat’s strong finish has many traders recalibrating balance sheets.
US prices dipped early in the week as market players opine that there is ample supply. With US weather threats largely absent and the market awash in ample carryover, all eyes are now trained on the USDA’s upcoming August 12 WASDE report—widely viewed as the next critical catalyst. Until then, traders remain cautious, parsing field scouts’ yield checks and export flows.
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