04/08/08 First winter wheat ratings of the spring

Farm and Ranch April 8, 2008 USDA has resumed its weekly crop progress reports. It includes the first national rating of the U.S. winter wheat crop since last fall and USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the crop is in worse condition than it was last year. Rippey: "Forty-five percent of the crop is rated good to excellent. Twenty-one percent very poor to poor. That compares unfavorably with last year when we saw 64% good to excellent and just 10% very poor to poor early in the season. The main problems again show up with the dryness Central and Southern High Plains." In the Pacific Northwest Idaho's winter wheat has the best rating at 90 percent good to excellent. In Oregon however, only 33 percent of the crop is in good to excellent condition, most is rated fair, 60 percent, and seven percent is poor. Washington's winter wheat is 50 percent good to excellent, 43 percent fair, and seven percent very poor to poor. As for spring wheat planting progress Rippey says: Rippey: "The two main states showing the most progress, Washington state and Idaho. In Washington, 35% planted. That is behind the 5-year average of 49%. Idaho also behind with the cool wet conditions. Nineteen percent planted, five-year average 30%." Nationally five percent of the spring wheat has been planted, just a point behind the five year average pace for now. The grain markets are focused on wet conditions in the Midwest and what that might mean for planting the U.S. corn crop, but USDA did not include any numbers on corn seeding in this week's report. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.