More Than Two-Thirds of U.S. Corn, Most of Soybeans Harvested

By CnAgri2012-10-12 19:44:50 Print

As of October 7, the top three corn-producing states--Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska--were 36-59 percentage points ahead of their average harvest pace.

The top 18 corn-producing states were 69 percent harvested, which is 41 points ahead of the average pace.

And the top 18 soybean-producing states have harvested 58 percent of the soybean crop, 18 points ahead of the average pace.

An early completion of harvest will allow more time for grain shipments to move to Lower Mississippi River exporters before the Upper Mississippi River closes for the winter and repair work.

The last grain barge shipments leave the Minneapolis-St, Paul, MN, area around Thanksgiving, and most of the Upper Mississippi River is closed by mid-December.

However, while all navigation channels are passable on the Mississippi River, drought-induced navigation restrictions will limit traffic and are expected to last through October.