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US winter wheat conditions resume decline

  • : Agriculture
  • 26/05/11

The share of US winter wheat rated in good-to-excellent condition fell to 28pc during the week ended 10 May, driven by worsening conditions in major hard red and soft red winter wheat states.

After rising from 30pc to 31pc good-to-excellent last week, US winter wheat conditions slipped another 3 percentage points in the latest week, according to the latest US Department of Agriculture data. The good-to-excellent rate has fallen by 7 points since the agency began releasing crop conditions reports five weeks ago.

Conditions worsened substantially in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas — the three states drawing the most attention due to recent cold and dry weather — falling by 7, 6, and 5 points, respectively. Just 9pc of Oklahoma's winter wheat was rated good-to-excellent, with Texas at 10pc and Kansas at 17pc. Nebraska's crop worsened by 6 points to 5pc good-to-excellent.

Areas currently experiencing extreme drought conditions expanded in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles — according to US Drought Monitor data as of 5 May — which continues to pressure the wheat crop in the region.

And in Illinois and Ohio — two major soft red winter wheat states — the good-to-excellent rate fell by 2 points. Illinois' wheat conditions remain 6 points ahead of the five-year average, though Ohio lags its five-year average by 4 points.

But the dry conditions continued to enable quick crop development, with winter wheat up to 61pc headed nationally, a 12-point increase from last week and 16 points ahead of the five-year average.

Farmers also made substantial progress on spring wheat planting, advancing by 21 points to 53pc planted during the latest week. Minnesota was the only state not in line with or ahead of its five-year average, lagging by 2 points at 47pc planted.

Corn and soybean planting moves quickly

Farmers remained focused on corn and soybean planting in the latest week, with the former progressing by 19 points and the latter by 16 points.

Corn planting was over half done at 57pc complete, 5 points ahead of its five-year average. Planting has progressed particularly quickly in Indiana and Ohio, which were both 14 points ahead of their five-year average for this week.

Emergence, meanwhile, was at 23pc, up from the five-year average of 19pc.

Soybeans did not reach the halfway point, falling just short at 49pc planted. Still, that figure is 13 points ahead of the five-year average. Indiana was 19 points ahead of its five-year average, while Ohio was at 14 points. Soybean emergence reached 20pc as of 10 May, 8 points more than the five-year average.


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