09/06/07 Small grain harvest wrapping up

Farm and Ranch September 6, 2007 The 2007 harvest of wheat and barley is about complete in the Pacific Northwest and across the U.S. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that's what the numbers in this week's crop progress report show. Rippey: "Small grain harvest is wrapping up with both spring wheat and barley at 96% harvested. Both those numbers at least ten points ahead of the five-year averages." Planting of the 2008 winter wheat crop continues in Washington with 15 percent of the crop planted at the start of this week. That compares to the five-year average of 12 percent. USDA's Rippey says the U.S. corn crop continues to do well. Rippey: "For corn 59 percent good to excellent. That is identical to last week and last year at this time. As we come down to the end of the season, of course we had that real wet weather across the heart of the cornbelt and then some favorably dry weather by the end of August. So really not much change as the season winds down. We continue to see the drought effects in the southern cornbelt and the southeast. But overall a pretty good crop season shaping up for corn." The U.S. soybean crop is rated 56 percent good to excellent. The potato harvest in Washington state is 47 percent complete, slightly behind last year's pace but a point ahead of the 5-year average for now. In Idaho eight percent of the potato crop had been harvested to start this week which was ahead of the five-year average of five percent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.