A winter wheat crop update

Farm and Ranch March 4, 2009 In a special report on the status of the 2009 U.S. winter wheat crop Allendale Incorporated says principle key winter wheat producing states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington and Texas have a degree of abnormally dry to severe drought. In Texas 38 percent of the crop is rated very poor with only ten percent in the good to excellent category. One-third of Oklahoma’s crop is very poor to poor. At last week’s Commodity Classic we got crop comments from some of the northwest producers in attendance. Brett Blankenship farms near Washtucna, Washington. Blankenship: “We have so many variables throughout our wheat growing counties in Washington state it will be another week or two before we know. Right now we are cautiously optimistic in some areas and in other areas they are pretty worried.� Kevin Porter farms in Umatilla County, Oregon. Porter: “Didn’t get a lot of moisture there in the fall. We got it started. It was pretty dry and then December hit. In December we had a lot of snow pack. We had up to 28 inches of snow on the ground at one time which is abnormal for that area. It has been raining the last week. The wheat looks pretty decent. It has been 35, 45 degrees most of the time.� Mark Darrington is a southern Idaho grower. Darrington: “I believe the winter wheat is coming out of the winter looking very well. I am down in the irrigated area of southern Idaho and we have a beautiful looking crop.� Updated weekly crop ratings for the northwest won’t be out until next month. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.