According to NASS Crop Progress data, 66% of the U.S. soybean crop was blooming as of July 19, which is 6 percentage points ahead of the normal pace. Around 32% of the crop had set pods, 8 percentage points ahead of average. The good-to-excellent crop rating improved by 1 percentage point to 66%, while the Brugler500 index rose 2 points to 369. Crop conditions deteriorated in Missouri (-1), North Dakota (-4), and South Dakota (-7), while improvements were recorded in Illinois (+6), Iowa (+9), Minnesota (+2), Nebraska (+5), and Ohio (+4).

NOAA's 7-day rainfall outlook indicates that parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio are likely to receive 1 to 2 inches of rain during the next week. In contrast, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana are expected to receive less than 0.5 inches of rainfall, raising concerns over continued dry conditions.