How to Read the USDA Crop Progress Report — Harvest Progress, Crop Condition Ratings and the Five-Year Average
USDA Crop Progress, October 26, 2026: by October 25 in 18 reporting states, corn 60% harvested (five-year average 66%), soybeans 79% (77%), winter wheat 76% planted.
Key figures (Crop Progress, week ending October 25, 2026)
As of 30 October 2026 (KST); most recently published report: Crop Progress, released October 26, 2026, by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), for the week ending Sunday, October 25, 2026. The report says: "Progress and condition estimates in the Crop Progress report are released after 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week." The NASS October 2026 calendar lists the October 26 release at 4:00 pm ET, and the publication page lists the next releases on November 2, 9 and 16, 2026. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796124/prog4326.txt[1][2][3]
| Indicator (percent of acreage in the reporting states) | Previous (week ending October 18, 2026) | Current (week ending October 25, 2026) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago: change vs 2021-2025 average (2025 comparison unavailable in this report) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn harvested, 18 states | 44 | 60 | +16 points | 2025 not available in the report; 2021-2025 average 66 (current is 6 points behind) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
| Soybeans harvested, 18 states | 64 | 79 | +15 points | 2025 not available in the report; 2021-2025 average 77 (current is 2 points ahead) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
| Cotton harvested, 15 states | 41 | 52 | +11 points | 2025 not available in the report; 2021-2025 average 45 (current is 7 points ahead) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
| Winter wheat planted, 18 states | 63 | 76 | +13 points | 2025 not available in the report; 2021-2025 average 77 (current is 1 point behind) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
| Winter wheat emerged, 18 states | 39 | 53 | +14 points | 2025 not available in the report; 2021-2025 average 54 (current is 1 point behind) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
| Corn condition, good plus excellent, 18 states | 56 (43 + 13) | 56 (43 + 13) | 0 points (good + excellent: 43 + 13 = 56% in each week; change: this page's subtraction) | previous year shown as not available | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (report tables); percentage-point differences: this page's subtraction |
Comparison basis: progress figures are published whole-number percentages of acreage in the listed states (the 18 corn states harvested 93% of the 2025 corn acreage, for example); week-to-week and against-average differences are this page's subtraction of those rounded percentages. In this report the column for the same week of 2025 is shown as not available, so the comparison in this table is with the 2021-2025 average printed in the report. The release, publication page and calendar are all from USDA and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. The weekly NASS report estimates how far planting, development and harvest of major U.S. crops have progressed, and rates crop, pasture and soil-moisture conditions.
2. For the week ending October 25, 2026, corn in the 18 reporting states was 60% harvested against a 66% five-year average, and soybeans 79% against 77%.
3. The next weekly reports are listed for November 2, 9 and 16, 2026.[1][2]
How the estimates are made (in NASS's words)
"Crop progress and condition estimates are based on survey data collected each week from early April through the end of November." About 3,600 respondents, chosen for their contact with farmers rather than by probability sampling, report each week. "Based on standard definitions, these respondents subjectively estimate the progress of crops through various stages of development, as well as the progress of producer activities." "They also provide subjective evaluations of crop conditions."[1]
The reference week. "Regardless of when questionnaires are completed, respondents are asked to report for the entire week ending on Sunday." "For reports submitted prior to the Sunday reference date, a degree of uncertainty is introduced by projections for weekend changes in progress and condition."[1]
Weighting. "National crop harvest progress estimates are weighted using the program State's average harvested acres over the previous three crop years." Pasture conditions are weighted by pasture acreage and/or livestock inventories, and soil moisture and days suitable for fieldwork by cropland acreage.[1]
Reading in pairs
This week vs the five-year average. In the 18 reporting states, corn harvest (60%) trailed its 2021-2025 average (66%) for the week ending October 25, 2026, while Iowa was at 47% against a 67% average. Soybeans (79%) and cotton harvest (52%) were ahead of their averages (77% and 45%). The report gives these figures without explaining them.[1]
Progress vs condition. Progress is a share of acreage that has reached a stage; condition is a rating distribution. For corn, 43% was rated good and 13% excellent in both this week and the previous week, so good plus excellent was 56% in each (this page's addition). Pasture and range nationally were 18% very poor and 26% poor.[1]
Subjective survey vs sample survey. The report describes a non-probability survey and does not provide a sampling-error or root-mean-square-error figure (this page's reading). "These estimates are subject to revision the following week."[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
In the week ending October 25, 2026, 60 percent of corn acreage in 18 reporting states had been harvested, against a 2021-2025 average of 66 percent.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Soybean harvest in 18 reporting states reached 79 percent in the week ending October 25, 2026, against a 2021-2025 average of 77 percent.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Winter wheat was 76 percent planted and 53 percent emerged in 18 reporting states in the week ending October 25, 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
In 18 reporting states, 43 percent of corn was rated good and 13 percent excellent in the week ending October 25, 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Crop Progress estimates are released after 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week, and the next releases are listed for November 2, 9 and 16, 2026.[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
The report describes a non-probability survey and does not provide a sampling-error or root-mean-square-error figure.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's reading of the methodology section
U.S. corn harvest in 18 states advanced 16 percentage points in the week ending October 25, 2026 (from 44% to 60%) and was 6 points behind the 2021-2025 average of 66%.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's subtraction of published percentages
Corn rated good plus excellent in 18 states was 56% in the week ending October 25, 2026 (43% good and 13% excellent), the same as the previous week.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's addition of published condition shares
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Why was corn harvest 6 points behind the five-year average?
- Why are the 2025 comparison columns not available?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 00:30
- Body characters
- 5,473
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 00:36
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 10/30/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/30/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Crop Progress text release of October 26, 2026, including every progress, condition, fieldwork-days and soil-moisture table and the methodology and revision policy, plus the publication page and the NASS October 2026 release calendar; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 10/30/2026 | Revised after review: the year-ago column is labeled as a change vs the 2021-2025 average with the 2025 comparison unavailable in this report; the corn condition row shows 43 + 13 = 56% in each week; the statement on error measures is labeled as this page's reading without stating a cause; the 18 reporting states are named in the summary and text; checking times now carry the KST time zone. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How much U.S. corn had been harvested by October 25, 2026?
60% of corn acreage in the 18 reporting states, up from 44% a week earlier and behind the 2021-2025 average of 66%, according to the NASS report of October 26, 2026.[1]
How much U.S. soybean acreage had been harvested by October 25, 2026?
79% in the 18 reporting states, against 64% a week earlier and a 2021-2025 average of 77%.[1]
When is the weekly U.S. Crop Progress report released in 2026?
After 4:00 pm ET on the first business day of the week; after the October 26, 2026 report, the next are listed for November 2, 9 and 16, 2026.[1][2]
Who reports the U.S. crop progress figures for October 2026?
About 3,600 respondents, such as people whose work brings them into contact with farmers, give subjective weekly estimates; it is a non-probability survey, not a random sample.[1]
Could the October 25, 2026 U.S. crop progress estimates be revised?
Yes, the estimates for the week ending October 25, 2026 are subject to revision the following week.[1]
Why does the October 26, 2026 Crop Progress report not compare with last year?
In the October 26, 2026 report the columns for the same week of 2025 are shown as not available; the report gives the 2021-2025 average instead and does not explain the gap.[1]
Official links
- Official USDA ESMIS — Crop Progress
- Official USDA NASS — Reports by date
- Docs How to read the WASDE report (GlowWiki)