Wheat Crop Progress Report

USDA released its crop progress report earlier this week and there isn’t much good news for a large portion of the Mid-West’s winter wheat crop.

USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey shares.

Rippey: “We’ve had so many spring freezes this year, it has really cut down on the crop potential across the central and southern plains.”

Rippey says nationally the condition of the winter wheat crop has gotten worse over the past week.

Rippey: “Overall the winter wheat crop is now just one-third good to excellent, 33 percent and 35 percent very poor to poor. A week ago those numbers were 35 percent and 33 percent respectively so we’ve seen a further decline. Last year at this time, what turned out to be a very good winter wheat crop, 64 percent good to excellent, 10 percent very poor to poor.”

Thankfully there is better news in crop progress in Pacific Northwest states.

Oregon reports that 35 percent of its winter wheat crop is rated fair and 59 percent is good to excellent. Spring wheat emergence is ahead of last year at 68 percent, compared to a year ago’s 52 percent.

Idaho reported the condition of its winter wheat to be 18 percent fair and 80 percent good to excellent. Spring wheat is a little behind last year’s 36 percent with the state’s average emergence being 27 percent.

In Washington the winter wheat dryland crop is reported to be 19 percent fair and 78 percent good to excellent. Spring wheat emergence at 52 percent is well above last year’s 23 percent.