U.S. winter wheat ratings still a tale of two crops

Farm and Ranch April 14, 2011 When USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey looks at the condition of the U.S. winter wheat crop he has this to say;

Rippey: “This is really a Jekyl and Hyde crop as you look across the nation.”

Rippey says there is really bad wheat and there is good wheat. Fortunately Pacific Northwest winter wheat is in the latter category.

Rippey: “We have 18 major production states and in ten of those the winter wheat crop is rated at least two-thirds in good to excellent condition, right across the northwest, the northern plains and into much of the east.”

So that’s the Jekyl side of the crop.

Rippey: “But we have those four big states in the central and southern plains that are suffering due to drought, the heat, the wind.”

Those are of course Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Rippey: “We have a very poor wheat crop there.”

Nationally, when all regions are combined, the U.S. winter wheat crop ratings slipped over the past week, with 36 percent of the crop rated good to excellent, it was 65 percent last year at this time, and 36 percent very poor to poor.

USDA reported this week that three percent of the U.S. corn crop had been planted which is right on the five year average for now.

Planting of spring wheat and barley in Washington, Oregon and Idaho continues to lag behind the usual pace for now due to weather.

Potato planting is running ahead of average in Washington with 38 percent of the crop in the ground. Seeding in Idaho just got underway with one percent of the potatoes planted, two points behind the five year average.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.