04/05/07 Cold weather could impact U.S. wheat

Farm and Ranch April 5, 2007 Some below freezing temperatures are expected in the next several days in parts of the southern U.S. and Plains states. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says freezes this time of year are not that unusual but this year the crops are farther along and vulnerable to the cold. Rippey: "And we are going to have watch any corn that's emerged. Also winter wheat is also fairly well advanced with some heading already underway and that is one of the most sensitive stages for wheat. At that point wheat can be hurt by temperatures 30 or just a little bit below." USDA says as of April 1st about one percent of Oklahoma's winter wheat crop was headed and about seven percent of the Texas crop. In Kansas and Nebraska wheat is in the jointing stage. Rippey says corn emergence in some of the southeastern states ranges from 27% to 64 percent, well ahead of the usual rate of emergence for this time of year. Rippey: "So in an extreme case there may need to be some replanting of corn that is already emerged across the southeast that gets hit by a freeze." Both wheat and corn futures got a boost from these weather concerns in trading Wednesday. Elsewhere in the world Chinese officials are warning that warm temperatures in some areas have prompted early growth of winter wheat making it potentially vulnerable to any cold weather that could arrive. The area of drought has also expanded but officials say they doubt that will have a significant impact on overall production. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.