By TIM ALEXANDER

Illinois Correspondent

PEORIA, Ill. — This year’s soybean harvest was off to a great start in Illinois, according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Progress and Condition reports.

The 52 percent harvested represents an increase of 16 percent over soybeans harvested by the same time last year, an 11 percent increase from the 2012-16 average and a 22 percent jump from soybeans harvested the previous week (as of Oct. 10).

Illinois farmers’ soybean harvest mirrors harvests in the other top-18 producing states. The 2017 U.S. bean harvest progressed during the same week by 14 percent, from 22 percent the week ending Oct. 1 to 36 percent. That percentage, however, lags behind the five-year national average of 41 percent harvested.

Indiana farmers are also ahead of the curve on soybeans harvested to date, at 42 percent complete, compared with the five-year average of 35 percent and last year’s 30 percent completion rate.

In Ohio, farmers took advantage of available field days to nearly double their soybean harvest from the previous week. As of Oct. 8, 45 percent of soybeans were harvested, compared with the previous week’s 24 percent. This is ahead of the state’s 35 percent five-year average.

Soybean condition across the 18 states planting 95 percent of U.S. acreage was reported at 12 percent poor or very poor, 27 percent fair, 49 percent good and 12 percent excellent.

“The condition of the (Illinois) soybean crop was rated 13 percent very poor to poor, 24 fair and 63 percent in good to excellent condition,” said Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician for NASS, during his weekly audio crop update.

Signs of a robust soybean harvest are being reported by farmers participating in the Illinois Soybean Assoc. 2017 (ISA) ILSoyAdvisor.com Yield Challenge. As combines roll across Illinois, early reports from participants indicate multiple 100-plus-bushel trial plots.

(Though harvest is well underway, farmers may still register for the Yield Challenge until Nov. 15. Contact Yield Challenge coordinator Mike Scheer at 309-531-2610 or mscheer@ilsoy.org to participate.)

Corn is 82 percent mature across the growing states, according to the NASS report, with just 22 percent harvested. This is 10 percent less maturity than last year and 5 percent behind the national five-year average.

The report showed Illinois’ corn harvest was just 38 percent complete, which lags 14 percent behind the five-year average of 52, and is 21 percent less than 2016 harvest progress. Corn condition was rated 4 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 48 percent good and 16 percent excellent in the state.

Indiana’s corn harvest, at 24 percent complete, trails the state’s five-year average of 34 percent and is 12 percent lower than harvest completion to date in 2016. Ohio farmers had harvested just 13 percent of corn acreage as of Oct. 8, down 8 percent from average and 9 percent less than last year.

In Michigan, the corn harvest was only 12 percent complete, while in Tennessee, 85 percent of the crop had been retrieved. Michigan corn was rated 16 percent very poor to poor, 34 percent fair, 38 percent good and 12 percent excellent. Tennessee’s crop was rated 3 percent very poor or poor, 10 percent fair and 87 percent good to excellent.

With 66 percent of their acreage harvested, Kentucky farmers reported that 65 percent of corn was in good condition and 19 percent was excellent.

NASS’ Oct. 12 Crop Production report showed that corn production rose 1 percent from the September forecast, while soybean production was slightly down. At a projected 14.3 billion bushels, corn production would be down by 6 percent from 2016. NASS expects farmers to harvest and average 171.8 bushels per acre this year, according to the report.

Though projected soybean production was down from the September 2017 report, farmers are expected to harvest a record 4.43 billion bushels this fall, with an average yield of 49.5 bushels per acre.

Schleusener also reminded farmers and ranchers during his weekly crop progress update that the USDA’s five-year Agricultural Census is coming this winter.