U.S. winter wheat harvest past the halfway mark
Farm and Ranch July 8, 2010 The winter wheat harvest in the Pacific Northwest will be running late this year due to the cool, wet spring. Estimates in Weekly Crop Weather reports suggest harvest starting one to three weeks later than usual in many areas. Meanwhile at the national level USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the harvest of winter wheat continues to advance northward across the central plains. Rippey: “And is generally finishing up in the southern areas. Overall the winter wheat harvest past the halfway mark for the week ending July 4th reaching 54% and has jumped ahead of the five year average, which is 53%. Just in the last week winter wheat harvest is underway in Nebraska and now 13% complete. And just in the last week we saw one-third of the crop harvested in both Indiana and Ohio, 34% and 40% harvested in one week‘s time respectively as hotter, drier conditions move into the eastern cornbelt.” Rippey says when it comes to spring wheat it is the tale of two crops. Rippey: “We have a crop that is well ahead of schedule in the eastern growing areas, Minnesota 91% headed; 62% is the five year average. Montana where it has been cool and wet 15% headed versus the five year average of 39%.” Heading of the spring wheat crop is running well behind the five year average in the PNW too with just 25 percent of the crop headed in Idaho, 62 percent in Washington and 78 percent in Oregon. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
