The U.S. soybean harvest passed the halfway mark last week while the corn harvest advanced steadily, although both lag behind last year's unusually fast progress, according to a Reuters poll of ten analysts. Farmers are harvesting what is expected to be the largest corn crop in U.S. history alongside a bumper soybean crop, yet cooler and wetter conditions have slowed maturity and fieldwork.

Analysts estimated 58% of soybeans and 44% of corn had been harvested as of Sunday, with wide ranges between respondents - 52-70% for soybeans and 35-55% for corn. A year ago, 67% of soybeans and 47% of corn were already harvested, the fastest pace in more than a decade, aided by hot, dry weather.

"This year the dry-down of crops has been a little bit slower," noted Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities, based in Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture normally issues its weekly crop progress reports each Monday, but the ongoing government shutdown has paused all updates from the agency's statistical service, creating an information vacuum for grain traders and producers alike.

In the absence of USDA data, analysts estimated 64% of the corn crop is in good-to-excellent condition, down one point from last week's poll. Soybean conditions remain unchanged at 61% good-to-excellent.

Meanwhile, farmers are also progressing on winter wheat planting for the 2026 crop. Analysts estimate 66% of the winter wheat crop has been planted, a significant jump from last week's 50% estimate.

All figures in percent: