CHICAGO: The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in a weekly crop report on Monday rated 50% of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, up from 45% a week earlier.

For Texas, the No. 2 winter wheat state by planted area, the USDA rated 28% of the crop as good to excellent, down from 29% the previous week.

The Texas corn crop was 50% planted, ahead of the state’s five-year average of 46%.

For Oklahoma, the USDA rated 61% of the winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, down from 62% a week earlier.

For Colorado, the USDA rated 28% of the winter wheat as good to excellent, a drop from 33% a week earlier.

For Montana, the USDA in a monthly report rated 54% of the wheat crop as good to excellent, down from 69% at the end of February.

For Nebraska, the USDA in a monthly report rated 38% of the state’s wheat as good to excellent, up from 34% at the end of February.

For South Dakota, the USDA in a monthly report rated 31% of the state’s wheat as good to excellent, down from 41% at the end of February.

Farmers in the Plains states grow hard red winter wheat, the largest US wheat class, which is milled into flour for bread.

In Illinois, where farmers grow soft red winter wheat used to make cookies and snack foods, the USDA in a monthly report rated 70% of the crop as good to excellent, up from 46% at the end of February.

In North Carolina, another soft wheat producer, the USDA in a monthly report rated 39% of the state’s wheat as good to excellent, up from 32% in late February.

The USDA rated 52% of the Louisiana winter wheat crop, 59% of Mississippi’s wheat and 59% of Arkansas’ wheat as good to excellent.

Corn planting was 74% complete in Louisiana, 24% complete in Mississippi and 4% complete in Arkansas.

Over the winter and early spring, the 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.