According to the USDA, corn and soybean harvest progress each finished below analyst expectations throughout the week ending Oct 17^th.

Corn:

Corn maturation as of the week ending Oct 17^th was 97% complete, finishing equal to last year’s pace and ahead of the five year average pace of 93% completed.

Corn harvest progress as of the week ending Oct 17^th was 52% complete, finishing behind last year’s pace of 57% completed but ahead of the five year average pace of 41% completed. Corn harvest progress finished below analyst expectations of 54% completed.

An additional 11% of the total U.S. corn crop was harvested during the week ending Oct 17^th. Weekly increases in corn harvest on a percentage basis were led by Maryland, followed by South Dakota.

60% of the current corn crop was identified to be in good or excellent condition as of the week ending Oct 17^th, unchanged from the previous week. The current corn crop identified to be in good or excellent condition finished consistent with analyst expectations. 14% of the current corn crop was identified to be in very poor or poor condition, down one percent from the previous week.

Soybeans:

95% of the soybean crop has dropped leaves as of the week ending Oct 17^th, finishing slightly behind last year’s pace of 96% completed but remaining equal to the five year average pace.

Soybean harvest progress as of the week ending Oct 17^th was 60% complete, finishing behind last year’s pace of 73% completed but remaining ahead of the five year average pace of 55% completed. Soybean harvest progress finished slightly below analyst expectations of 62% completed.

An additional 11% of the total U.S. soybean crop was harvested during the week ending Oct 17^th. Weekly increases in soybean harvest on a percentage basis were led by New York, followed by Maryland and Ohio.