A check on wheat around the world

Farm and Ranch June 18,m 2009 Wheat is at many different stages around the world. In some countries farmers are planting, in others winter wheat harvesting is wrapping up. Louise Gartner for the Linn Group at the Chicago Board of Trade takes us around the world and describes crop progress and conditions.

Gartner: “Europe of course has had a very good growing season. A little too wet in France supposedly but for the most part they are looking at an excellent crop and should dry out in the near term to allow for harvest to get started. In the CIS western areas, which had been dry, has gotten very nice rains lately. Now as you move further east it has turned fairly dry. Looking like it is causing some stress in some the spring wheat areas of Ukraine and Russia.”

They are trying to plant wheat in Argentina where drought continues.

Gartner: “Planted acres are way down because of the drought and they are basically running out of time to get the crop planted.”

They are still planting wheat in Australia where the eastern part of the country has seen good moisture, but Western Australia where most of the wheat is grown, is still on the dry side. Australian weather officials now also say the chance of El Nino has strengthened and that weather pattern often means drought down under.

As for China;

Gartner: “China wrapping up their winter wheat harvest and looking more to spring wheat areas, which started out fairly dry. They have gotten very good moisture across most of their spring wheat region, so they are looking at a very good spring wheat crop as well.”

And Gartner says Canada may see reduced yields because of both too dry and too wet of conditions.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.

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