Market News & Headlines >> Winter Wheat Conditions Above Last Year

Monday’s first national crop update of the season from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) rated overall U.S. winter wheat crop conditions 44% good/excellent as of Sunday, up significantly from 35% a year earlier, although below the 10-year average of about 50%.

The portion of the U.S. crop said to be in poor/very poor condition came in at 16%, well below last year’s 29% and below the 10-year average of 20%.

In the top winter wheat growing state of Kansas, the state office of NASS put conditions at 33% good/excellent and 23% poor/very poor, down from 39% good/excellent a week earlier and also down from 37% good/excellent and 18% poor/very poor a year earlier.

In Oklahoma, traditionally the No. 2 winter wheat state, the portion of the crop rated good/excellent dropped 1 point from a week earlier to 43% and in Texas the portion rated good/excellent also fell 1 point to 54%.

Nebraska winter wheat conditions were rated 34% good/excellent and 30% poor/very poor, down slightly from a week earlier, while South Dakota conditions were rated 29% good/excellent and 27% poor/very poor, down from 35% good/excellent and 22% poor/very poor a week earlier.

In the soft red winter (SRW) wheat state of Illinois, crop condition improved to 56% good/excellent as of Sunday from 52% a week earlier. SRW wheat conditions were rated 55% good/excellent in Indiana and 59% good/excellent in Ohio, but only 46% good/excellent in both Missouri and Michigan.