U.S. winter wheat crop condition better than a year ago

Farm and Ranch November 18, 2011 Weekly crop reports from PNW states show winter wheat planting is complete in the region. Nationally 96 percent of the crop was planted by the start of this week and various analysts say probably not much more will get seeded this fall. Eighty-three percent of the winter wheat has emerged, a point behind the five year average for now. In the northwest 96 percent of Idaho’s winter wheat is up, 84 percent of Washington’s and 73 percent of Oregon’s crop has emerged.

As for the condition rating for U.S. winter wheat USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says;

Rippey: “Overall half the crop now rated good to excellent inching upward from last week‘s number of 49% and better than this time last year now which was 46% good to excellent at this time and the percentage very poor to poor has dropped in the last week from 15 to 14%. Last year at this time we were at 17%. Texas stands out with 44% of the crop rated very poor to poor. There is no other state with more than 12% of the crop rated very poor to poor. So, in general we have seen mostly good news this fall with rain in some areas that need it.”

Like the far southern plains.

No winter wheat in the Pacific Northwest is rated very poor with just a few percent in poor condition. Good to excellent ratings are much higher than nationally at 67 percent or more in good to excellent condition.

Nationally the U.S. corn harvest is nearing an end with 93 percent of the crop in the bin, eleven points ahead of the five year average for now.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.