12/04/08 Problem winter wheat areas to watch

Farm and Ranch December 4, 2008 Most states have stopped issuing weekly crop ratings for winter wheat now until next spring. But heading into winter we know that both Oregon and Washington had some large percentages of their winter wheat rated in the poor to very poor categories. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says another winter wheat growing area in the U.S. may bear watching. Rippey: "What we have seen on the plains is of course abundant moisture for the planting and establishment period, but we have seen a pretty marked drying trend across the southeastern plains the last month or two. That has created some concerns with respect to the proper establishment and development of the winter wheat crop. We have seen the Texas winter wheat numbers rated very poor to poor creeping up from 11% in late October to 15% by the end of November. And in Kansas we gave seen the number creep up from 5 to 9%. Historically speaking that is still a very small percentage of the crop rated very poor to poor, but of particular concern would be central portions of Oklahoma southward into central Texas. Those areas have not received much rain the past two months and would be an area to watch." While the official corn harvest season is over not all the U.S. corn crop is in the bin. Harvesting is not complete in some of the western and northern cornbelt states such as Nebraska and South Dakota. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.