Market News & Headlines >> Winter Wheat Ratings Steady

The portion of the U.S. winter wheat crop rated good/excellent as of Sunday was unchanged from a week earlier at 42%, according to Monday’s USDA Crop Progress report, while spring wheat planting progress sprinted ahead of normal.

The good/excellent rating for winter wheat was up 9 percentage points from a year earlier. The portion of the U.S. crop rated poor/very poor rose 1 point to 20%, but was still 14 percentage points below a year earlier. Winter wheat development remained ahead of normal, with USDA estimating 28% of the U.S. crop was head, versus the five-year average of 24%.

Crop conditions deteriorated slightly in the top winter wheat growing state of Kansas last week with the portion of the crop rated good/excellent unchanged at 26% and the portion rated poor/very poor rising to 31% from 28%. In Oklahoma, conditions were unchanged at 37% good/excellent and 25% poor/very poor, while in Texas, conditions were rated 52% good/excellent and 15% poor/very poor versus 51% good/excellent and 14% poor.

Conditions in SRW wheat growing states were mostly steady to improved, with the good/excellent rating for the Illinois crop rising to 58% from 54% a week earlier.

USDA pegged U.S. spring wheat planting progress at 55% complete, versus only 19% a year earlier and the five-year average of 29%. The planting pace was the fastest for the date since 1991. Planting progress in the top spring wheat state of North Dakota was at 41% versus just 3% a year earlier and the five-year average of 18%.