First Crop Progress Report of the Year

On Monday, Colorado’s first Crop Progress Report of the year came out. National Ag Statistic Service Mountain Region Director Bill Meyer shares more details
Meyer: “Most notable for this report, is probably our winter wheat condition. It is rated a little bit lower then it was last year at this time. We have it rated as 42 percent fair, 36 percent good and 7 percent excellent. Last year at this time it was rated at 34 percent fair, 50 percent good and 5 percent excellent. The current ratings are really on par or even a little better than the five-year average. Hopefully with this warm weather and a little more rain coming this week supposedly — conditions will improve some more.”
There were reports of isolated instances of freezing damage to some winter wheat in the southeastern corner of the state. Meyer continues
Meyer: “The other thing to note is that there are very few people that have just started planting barley sugar beets, spring wheat. They’ve just scratched the surface on that. We anticipate seeing more of that next week.”
Colorado’s pasture and rangeland condition was rated 14 percent very poor, 17 percent poor, with 37 percent rated fair, 29 percent rated as good and 3 percent rated excellent. The percentage of cows that had calved is 37 percent, which is about 10 percent lower than a year ago or the five-year average. For ewes that have lambed that was 29 percent — that too was below last year and the five year average.