U.S. harvests lag behind average years

By historic averages, 97 percent of the corn crop has reached maturity at this time of year, but only 83 percent of the 2009 crop has reached maturity. The crop has lagged the entire season, starting with a late planting due to a rainy spring.

Other crops are late as well. The nation's sunflower crop is 9 percent
harvested compared with a historic average of 25 percent for this time of year.

The soybean crop is 30 percent harvested, far behind the 5-year average of 72 percent.

The cotton crop in the 15 largest cotton producing states is 15 percent harvested. The average from the past five years is 35 percent.

The peanut harvest is 33 percent completed; the historic average is 50 percent for this week of the year.

The rice crop is also slow: 76 percent of the crop harvest is complete, compared with an average of 93 percent.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.