07/16/08 Wheat harvest expanding in northwest

Farm and Ranch July 16, 2008 The USDA reports that at the start of this week 62 percent of the U.S. winter wheat crop had been cut, but in the Pacific Northwest harvest is just getting underway. Oregon reports harvest activity in Morrow and Wasco counties with just six percent of the state's winter wheat cut. That's three points behind average for now. In Washington winter wheat harvesting is right on the five year average with four percent cut and combines rolling in Benton, Franklin and Lincoln counties. The U.S. spring wheat crop showed more deterioration in the weekly crop ratings from USDA. Department meteorologist says dryness is the problem. Rippey: "We saw a drop from last week to this week from 69 to 61% good to excellent. The very poor to poor rating jumped from seven to 11%. Most of the problems are in the western growing areas due to dryness. The very poor to poor rating in Montana up to 14 percent now." In Washington 29 percent of the spring wheat is in very poor to poor condition. Most of Washington's spring wheat is headed. In Idaho just 68 percent of the spring wheat has headed. USDA's Rippey says the U.S. corn crop development has caught up some; Rippey: "But we are still running obviously more than a week behind schedule, slowly making up the progress, but it is unlikely we are going to catch up by the end of the season." The condition rating of the corn crop is the same as last year at this time, 64 percent good to excellent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.