Growing Concern About Nation's Winter Wheat Crop

Growing Concern About the Nation’s Winter Wheat Crop

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

Although the winter wheat crop throughout the Pacific Northwest has been for the most part emerging and establishing in good condition, that is not the case with the rest of the country, where weather conditions continue to hamper winter wheat emergence and condition.

Concern is growing about the state of the crop throughout the Northern and Southern Plains and the Mid-West as USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey shares

Rippey: “We have a crop especially from South Dakota to Texas that is poorly established and critically short of moisture and we just can’t seem to get any moisture of late, especially in the Plains. In South Dakota and even up into Montana the crop got off to such a tough start that a significant portion -- 30 to 40 percent -- did not emerge before it turned too cold. That may have to be turned over into spring wheat for example, if the winter wheat crop fails.”

With the drought and present dry weather conditions, producers and industry analysts are beginning to wonder what percentage of the crop might be abandoned or abated.

So what will happen as winter progresses? Rippey says there is still time for the crop to benefit to weather shifts in some areas. For example the jet stream is expected to shift southward from Canada later this month.

Rippey: “We may see some significant snow, perhaps some drought relief across the Northern tier, Northern Plains and Upper Mid-west.”