CHICAGO: The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in a weekly crop report on Monday rated 24% of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, down from 25% a week earlier.

US farmers planted 34.4 million acres (13.9 million hectares) of winter wheat for 2022, the most in six years, the USDA said on Jan. 12. However, dry conditions across the southern Plains have threatened crop prospects.

Kansas is the biggest US winter wheat producer. The USDA reported that topsoil moisture was short to very short in 81% of the state, up from 80% the previous week.

For Texas, the No. 2 winter wheat state by planted area, the USDA rated just 7% of the crop as good to excellent, down from 8% the previous week. The USDA rated 75% of the Texas crop as poor to very poor, steady with the previous week.

The Texas corn crop was 16% planted, close to the state’s five-year average of 15%. For Oklahoma, the USDA rated 15% of the winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, up from 11% a week earlier. The USDA said 4% of Oklahoma’s wheat had reached the “jointing” stage of growth, matching the five-year average.