Spring wheat progress lagging

WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Progress in the spring wheat crop remains far behind its historic average, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.

Although spring wheat in Washington and South Dakota are close to five-year averages, the nation's crop in total is at 67 percent emergence against a five-year average of 90 percent for this time of year, the weekly crop reports said.

Seventy-seven percent of the winter wheat crop has been harvested, compared to a five-year average of 81 percent for this week of the year.

The corn crop is 93 percent planted. While planting is catching up with its historic average, only 73 percent of the corn acreage has emerged. Historically, by this week of the year, 86 percent has emerged.

In North Carolina, 100 percent of the corn crop has at least emerged from the ground, the USDA said. In North Dakota, where the five-year average is 78 percent emergence by this week, only 36 percent has emerged this year.

Soybean planting is 13 percentage points behind its historic average, while the crop is 15 percentage points behind in emergence.