Winter wheat begins heading in PNW
Farm and Ranch May 17, 2011 In this week’s crop progress report the USDA says winter wheat has started to head out in Oregon and Washington. Four percent is headed in Oregon and two percent in Washington. Those numbers are a few points behind the five year average for now. Nationally, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says heading is a point ahead of average at 54 percent, which is not necessarily a good thing.
Rippey: “As you get down into the drought affected areas where drought has accelerated the development at the expense of yield potential.”
That of course being the southern plains where winter wheat crop ratings continue to decline.
Rippey: “Oklahoma now 80% of the crop rated very poor to poor. Texas 75%. Kansas up to 55%.”
Winter wheat in Washington, Oregon and Idaho continues to be rated 80 percent or more good to excellent.
Progress was made in getting the U.S. spring wheat crop planted this past week but USDA’s Rippey says nationally seeding is well behind normal.
Rippey: “Spring wheat just barely past the 1/3 market by the end of the week, 36% planted by May 15th. Five year average 76%. Last year 78%.”
Seeding is behind normal in the Pacific Northwest too but Washington has 87 percent of its spring wheat planted, Idaho 78 percent. Nationally only 11 percent of the spring wheat has emerged. Usually by now 44 percent of the crop would be up.
Over the past week planting of the U.S. corn crop advanced from 40 percent to 63 percent complete. That compares to the five year average for now of 75 percent.
I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
?
