The most recent Crop Progress report also said that 18 percent of the crop was in the dough stage as of Aug. 4, up from 8 percent in the previous week but down from 31 percent as the five-year average.
The USDA also rated 64 percent of the crop in the 18 major states in good-to-excellent condition in the latest week, 25 percent fair and 11 percent very poor to poor. That compares with the previous week, when 63 percent of the crop was rated good to excellent, 26 percent fair and 11 percent was very poor to poor.
The USDA said 79 percent of the soybean crop in the 18 major states was blooming, down from an 85 percent five-year average. A total of 39 percent of the crop was setting pods as of Aug. 4, up from 20 percent the previous week but significantly below 51 percent as the 2008-2012 average.
The condition of the crop improved slightly. The USDA rated 64 percent of the crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 63 percent the previous week. The 9 percent rated very poor to poor was identical to the previous week.
