Winter Wheat Emergence Hindered By Cold

Winter Wheat Emergence Hindered By Cold

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey warns there is a cold front moving through Western U.S. and that could mean bad news for winter wheat emergence.

Rippey: “It has already arrived in Montana and over the next couple of days that cold weather will encompass most of the Western two-thirds of the United States and that will put at least a temporary damper on any further winter wheat emergence.”

According to the National Ag Statistics Services Crop Progress report for the week ending Oct. 21st In Idaho, the winter winter crop is a bit behind with 52 percent emerged compared to last year’s 60 percent. In Oregon the winter winter emergence is also behind with 26 percent compared to last year’s 31 percent.
Washington’s winter winter crop is lagging a bit in emergence with 68 percent reported compared to 81 percent last year.

Although the Pacific Northwest is a bit behind, it is not as bad as it is for South Dakota’s winter wheat farmers who only have 13 percent of their crop up, normally at this time of year that is 80 percent.

Rippey: “Winter wheat is often described as a crop with nine lives; but clearly when you have late or very poor emergence or establishment that is a situation where you are shortening or lowering the number of lives that winter wheat has. That is a big cut to the hardiness of the crop. It makes the crop much more susceptible to wind and/or temperature damage as we move through the dominancy period which lasts typically from November on through February or March.”

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Ag Information Network.