Washington Wheat Outlook Pt 1

Washington Wheat Outlook Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. After what they experienced last summer, Washington wheat growers are encouraged by the recent forecast from the USDA’s National Ag Statistic Service, up 85% from last year.

Washington Grain Commission CEO, Glen Squires says this year has had its own weather challenges, but who’s complaining? …

SQUIRES … “You know, a couple of months ago there’s was still quite a bit of concern. I mean, we came off of, in Washington, we came off of a crop last year that was the lowest crop since 1964.”

On average, Squires says things are looking pretty good this year …

SQUIRES … “I just put together a three-year average of spring wheat, you know, to try and get some kind of a sense of what production might look like. You know, we could be 150-million bushels or better and the 5–10-year average is like 135-million bushels.”

As for the weather, Squires says the rain has really helped …

SQUIRES … “Last year, winter wheat in Washington, we had 19% of the crop was in good-to-excellent condition. 19%? 81% was, you know, was very poor to fair. So, this year, right now, there saying 76% is good to excellent. So, it’s a complete turnaround.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on Washington’s wheat forecast and what the market is looking like.

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