US corn harvest 79 percent complete

The U.S. corn harvest is 79 percent complete, significantly ahead of the average 38 percent for this time of year, due to early planting that stemmed from unusually warm weather in the spring, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Iowa and Illinois, the two top corn-producing states, are at 87 percent for their harvests. Growers "have been making some excellent progress" in harvesting crops in much of the Midwest, said Joel Karlin, market analyst for Western Milling. "You have had some pretty good harvest conditions."
Seventy-one percent of the U.S. soybean crop has been harvested, up from the five-year average of 58 percent for this time of year, according to the USDA. In addition, 96 percent of the crop was dropping leaves as of October 14, one percentage point above normal.

China lowers forecast for corn, soybean output

As drought hit Northeastern China’s major corn growing areas earlier this year, China is expected to produce 163 million tons of corn in 2009, a drop of 2.92 million tons or 1.8% against 2008, according to Beijing’s state-own China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC).
CNGOIC has also lowered its forecast for the country’s soybean output to 14.5 million tons in 2009, 1.045 million tons or 6.7% down from last year.