An estimated 29% of the US soybean crop for the 2019-20 crop year was planted through Sunday, the US Department of Agriculture said Tuesday.
Total soybean planting progress was up 10 percentage points from the prior weekly report, but is significantly behind the year-ago pace of 74% and the five-year average of 66% completed, according to the USDA data.
Severe storms in the Midwest continued to prevent farmers in major growing states from planting their fields.
South Dakota was shown to be the furthest behind average, at only 6% complete compared with a five-year average of 64%.
Illinois is also a long way behind usual as well, at only 14% complete, compared with an average 73% complete for this time of year.
North Carolina was 52% complete and the only state ahead of its five-year average, which was 45% planted.
The report also showed that 11% of the planted soybeans had emerged, compared with 44% at this point last year and a five-year average of 35% at this time of the year.
The data focused on the 18 states that accounted for 95% of the planted 2018 soybean acreage.
