Harvest progress pushed ahead of the five-year average this week according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With 59 percent of the crop harvested as of Sunday, ranging from 93 percent of the Tennessee crop to 25 percent of Colorado, total progress moved ahead of the five-year average by five percentage points.

Chip Bowling, National Corn Growers Association President, tells us,

As corn farmers continue to work diligently, pushing harvest forward, the general understanding of the 2015 corn crop continues to deepen.At this time, the national average yield is estimated to be the second-largest on record. While a decreased forecast for harvested acres balances the added production, America's corn farmers clearly produce an abundance. At NCGA, we continuously work to grow demand for this sustainable crop as our nation's farmers work hard to get it in the bins.

 

Most of the progress over the past two weeks is due to dryer than normal conditions. Last week alone, the 18 leading corn-producing states had 6.54 average days suitable for fieldwork.

Over the same period, estimates of the crop condition remained stable with 68 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition. At this time last year, 74 percent of the crop fell within this range.

Take a look at the entire USDA report.

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