Half of spring crop now planted

Farm and Ranch May 20, 2009 The weekly crop weather and crop progress report from the USDA for this week stated that half of the U.S. spring wheat crop had been planted to start the week. That is still 40 points, or about two weeks, behind the five year average for now. Farmers in North Dakota made good progress last week going from just 13 percent planted to 31 percent. Spring wheat seeding in the Pacific Northwest is nearing completion. Better than 80 percent of the spring wheat has emerged around the region. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey has the latest ratings on winter wheat crop condition around the U.S. Rippey: "In terms of condition of the winter wheat crop we do see a little bit of improvement over the last week; 48% of the crop rated good to excellent. A week ago 46%. The real problem continues to be across the south central U.S. hit hard by drought and then the early April freeze. Seventy-three percent of the crop rated very poor to poor in Texas; 63% in Oklahoma." Most of the winter wheat in the Pacific Northwest is in fair to good condition, though some of the crop in both Washington and Oregon is poor to very poor. Development of the nation's winter wheat crop is nearly back to normal with 56 percent now headed, only four points back from average for now. USDA says 11 percent of Washington's crop is headed, nine percent of Oregon's. Seeding of the U.S. corn crop was 62 percent complete to start the week, still well behind the five year pace of 85 percent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.