04/16/08 Winter wheat ratings improve slightly

Farm and Ranch April 16, 2008 A mixed bag of weather continues to have an impact on U.S. winter wheat ratings. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey has this week's report. Rippey: "We do continue to see some dryness on the high plains and some wetness related problems across the mid-south, the lower Midwest. We are looking at a winter wheat crop that is now rated 47% good to excellent, but 20% very poor to poor." That is however a point improvement from last week in both the good to excellent and poor to very poor ratings, though the crop remains below the ratings last year at this time of 55 percent good to excellent. In the Pacific Northwest, Washington's winter wheat showed the most improvement over the past week and is now rated 60 percent good to excellent and just six percent poor to very poor. Oregon's rating moved up a couple of points to 35 percent good to excellent, 57 percent fair and eight percent poor. Idaho's winter wheat condition moved up to 92 percent good to excellent. While spring cereal planting in Oregon is ahead of the usual pace for now, spring wheat seeding is 19 points behind the five year average in Washington and Idaho due to cool, wet weather. Nationally spring wheat planting is eight percent complete compared to the average of 12 percent. Wet conditions have been a concern for planting in the U.S. corn belt this spring. In its first weekly progress report of the year on corn planting progress, USDA said two percent of the U.S. crop is in the ground, which is behind the five year average pace for now of seven percent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.