The USDA’s latest listed Crop Progress report, released October 5, 2026, puts corn maturity at 83% in its 18 selected states—not 5%. That 83% matched the 2021–2025 average for the week ending October 4. The 5% figure does appear in USDA data, but as a historical 2024 measurement: 5% of the Nation’s corn acreage was mature by August 18 that year.
What does the USDA’s 5% corn maturity figure mean?
It is a date-specific progress reading, not a current national estimate. USDA’s 2024 Crop Production Summary reports that 5% of the Nation’s corn acreage was mature by August 18, 2024. The figure should not be treated as the intended date behind the title; that date is not established by the statistic alone. USDA’s 2024 Crop Production Summary also reports that 98% was mature by October 20, 2024, three percentage points ahead of the five-year average.
What is the latest USDA corn progress figure?
In the report released October 5, 2026, USDA’s “Corn Mature – Selected States” table showed 83% mature for the week ending October 4. The 18 states in this maturity measure planted 91% of the 2025 corn acreage; it is not a count of every U.S. acre. The reported 83% was equal to the 2021–2025 average for that week. The October 5, 2026 USDA Crop Progress report provides the weekly figures.
How much corn had been harvested?
The same report said corn harvest was 23% complete, compared with a 27% average for 2021–2025—a four-percentage-point difference. The harvest measure is reported separately and covers states representing 93% of 2025 corn acreage. Maturity and harvest are different stages: corn may be mature before it is harvested, so the two percentages should not be read as competing estimates of the same thing.
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USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service issues Crop Progress reports weekly during the growing season, from April through November. They track planting, fruiting, harvesting, and overall crop condition in selected crops and major producing states. USDA summarizes data by crop and state, and figures may also be republished with revisions in the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin. See USDA’s reports-by-date calendar for releases; the percentage can change from week to week, so check the reporting week and selected-state coverage whenever using a figure.
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