KANSAS CITY – U.S. Department of Agriculture weekly crop condition ratings slipped slightly for corn and held for winter wheat while initial soybean and spring wheat ratings indicated those crops were off to good starts for the 2014 growing season.

Corn in the 18 major states was rated 75% good to excellent as of June 8, down one percentage point from a week earlier but well above 63% at the same time last year. This year’s crop was rated 21% fair (22% a week ago and 29% last year) and 4% poor to very poor (2% last week and 8% last year, the U.S.D.A. said in its weekly Crop Progress report.

Corn emergence in the 18 states was at 92%, ahead of 83% a year ago and 90% as the 2009-13 average for the date.

Winter wheat in the 18 major states was 9% harvested as of June 8, ahead of 5% last year but slightly behind 12% as the five-year average. Wheat was 30% combined in Texas and 26% harvested in Oklahoma, with drought significantly affecting crops in both states. Harvest was at 11% in Arkansas and North Carolina. Harvest was not far enough along in other states to post progress.

With harvest under way across the south, winter wheat ratings typically change little, and in fact the 18-state aggregate held from a week earlier at 30% good to excellent, 26% fair and 44% poor to very poor, also near last year’s ratings at the same time.

In its initial spring wheat condition report the U.S.D.A. rated the crop 71% good to excellent, 25% fair and 4% poor to very poor, much better than 62%, 31% and 7%, respectively, a year earlier. The spring wheat crop was 95% planted (93% average) and 80% emerged (82%).

The soybean crop in the 18 major states was initially rated 74% good to excellent, 22% fair and 4% poor to very poor, with no comparison to a year ago because the crop was not far enough along to rate. Soybeans were 87% planted (81% average) and 71% emerged (62%).

Rice in the six major states was rated 69% good to excellent, 27% fair and 4% poor, unchanged from a week earlier and modestly better than a year ago.