07/30/08 Harvest progress

Farm and Ranch July 29, 2008 The winter wheat harvest is in full swing around the Pacific Northwest now. Progress in Oregon was approaching the halfway mark at the start of this week with 45 percent of the crop cut. Eighteen percent of Washington's winter wheat is in the bin. While harvesting in southern Idaho is further advanced, statewide just four percent of Idaho's winter wheat has been cut. Reports from Oregon and Washington are generally of average to below average yields. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey updates progress of winter and spring wheat harvesting nationally. Rippey: "Taking a look at the progress of the winter wheat harvest for the week ending July 27th. We now see 79% of the crop has been harvested. The five year average for winter wheat harvesting at this time is 86%. Finally, with the spring wheat crop we now see that crop pretty much fully headed out and now harvest underway. One percent of the spring wheat harvested. Five year average is six percent. Harvest just now underway in North Dakota two percent and Washington state at three percent." Washington and Idaho had harvested just one percent of their barley at the start of this week while in Oregon 49 percent of the barley crop had been cut. The USDA says the nation's corn crop continues to be in better condition than this time a year ago but is still well behind average in crop development. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.