11/05/08 Winter wheat ratings up nationally but not in PNW

Farm and Ranch November 5, 2008 Listen to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey giving the latest numbers nationally for winter wheat planting, emergence, and crop condition, and things sound pretty good. After all 90 percent of the U.S. crop has been planted, very close to the average of 92 percent. Rippey: "And emergence with a warm dry week last week doing very well. 76% percent emerged by November 2nd., five year average 78%. And in terms of winter wheat condition we are looking at a crop that improved to 67% good to excellent. Only 4% very poor to poor. Last week those numbers were 65 and 5% respectively. And we are looking far better than this time last year when the crop was 53% good to excellent, 13% very poor to poor." There is an exception to this rosy picture and that is right here in the Pacific Northwest. The winter wheat ratings in Oregon slipped from last week and one-third of the state's crop is now rated poor due to dry conditions. So rain is certainly welcome. The pace of planting in Oregon is almost average now with 89 percent of the crop seeded. Winter wheat in Washington, where 98 percent of the crop is planted, needs more moisture too. Like Oregon, emergence has been a problem, but the state's crop remains in 50 percent fair and 50 percent good condition. Most of Idaho's winter wheat has been planted and crop ratings slipped from last week with 86 percent in good to excellent condition but now six percent showing up as poor. The U.S. corn harvest is now past the halfway mark, with 55 percent in the bin. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.