Winter wheat harvest starting in PNW
Farm and Ranch July 19, 2011 The 2011 winter wheat harvest is finally getting underway in parts of the Pacific Northwest. Rippey: “The winter wheat harvest continues to slowly advance as it is moving into some of that late developing wheat in the north.” USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. The National Agricultural Statistics Service’s weekly crop condition report shows two percent of Oregon’s winter wheat had been cut at the start of this week. One percent of Washington’s. Rippey: “The national harvest passed the two-thirds mark in the last week to reach 68%. Five year average pace 72%. Last year 70%.” Turning to the U.S. spring wheat crop, Rippey updates its progress and condition. Rippey: “Cool, wet weather much of the growing season has held the heading progress to 60 percent by July 17th. Five year average 88%. Last year 84%. Spring wheat condition reasonably good, though. Seventy-three percent good to excellent. Five percent very poor to poor.” Last year at this time the U.S spring wheat crop was 82 percent good to excellent. In the northwest 84 percent of Washington’s spring wheat is headed compared to the five year average of 98 percent. Idaho’s spring wheat is only a point behind average at 80 percent headed. Rippey says the heat wave in the central U.S. has reduced the condition of the U.S. corn crop slightly. Rippey: “Corn condition trailing off a little bit in the last week to 66% good to excellent, 11 percent very poor to poor. A week ago 69% and nine percent respectively.” I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net. ?
