08/29/07 Winter wheat planting underway

Farm and Ranch August 29, 2007 Planting of the 2008 winter wheat crop is underway in some parts of the Pacific Northwest. Recent rains delayed some grain harvesting as well as seeding but the moisture was welcome for fall planting prospects. Farmers in Adams and Lincoln counties in Washington were seeding and the Agricultural Statistics Service says four percent of Washington's winter wheat had been planted at the start of this week. Seeding is expected to begin in Oregon's Morrow county next week. While most winter wheat has been harvested in the Northwest and across the country harvest of spring grains continues. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey has the spring wheat harvest progress. Rippey: "The spring wheat crop harvest is ahead of schedule in all of the six major states and now complete in South Dakota. The national progress is 87%. Five year average 69%. And even in the least advanced state, Idaho, 79% of the spring wheat is harvested, well ahead of the 5-year average of 65 percent." Both Washington and Oregon had 12 percent of their spring wheat to harvest at the start of this week. Barley harvest in the PNW ranged from 90 percent complete in Oregon to 74 percent cut in Idaho. The U.S. corn crop is rated 59 percent good to excellent. That's slightly better than last year at this time. Twelve percent of the crop is called mature, slightly ahead of last year and the five year average. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.