CHICAGO: The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in a weekly crop report on Monday rated 38% of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, up from 36% a week earlier.
Weekend storms brought snow and rain to Kansas, the biggest US winter wheat producer. The USDA reported that Kansas topsoil moisture as of Sunday was short to very short in 24% of the state, a drop from 47% the previous week.
For Oklahoma, another major wheat state, the USDA rated 57% of the winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, up from 53% a week earlier.
The USDA said 15% of Oklahoma’s wheat had reached the “jointing” stage of growth, near the five-year average of 16%.
For Texas, the No. 2 winter wheat state by planted area, the USDA rated 27% of the crop as good to excellent, unchanged from the previous week.
The Texas corn crop was 26% planted, up from 10% a week ago and matching the state’s five-year average.
For Colorado, the USDA rated 25% of the winter wheat as good to excellent, an improvement from 19% in the state’s previous report, released in late February. Farmers in the Plains states grow hard red winter wheat, the largest US wheat class, which is milled into flour for bread.
In Arkansas, where farmers grow soft red winter wheat used to make cookies and snack foods, the USDA rated 53% of the state’s wheat as good to excellent.
The USDA rated 38% of the Louisiana winter wheat crop and 53% of Mississippi’s wheat as good to excellent. Corn planting was 14% complete in Louisiana and 1% complete in Mississippi.
Over the winter and early spring, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service releases crop progress reports for select states. The government is scheduled to resume regular weekly US crop progress reports on April 5.
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