The pace of the US winter wheat harvest picked up this past week, but the condition of the spring wheat crop took a step backward.
After weather delays that limited early fieldwork, the American winter wheat harvest advanced 9 points from a week earlier to reach 19% complete as of Sunday – near the average pre-report trade guess of 21% - but still far behind 38% last year and 28% on average. Meanwhile, the condition of the American spring wheat crop slipped 3 points from the previous week to 54% good to excellent, below 71% last year and compared to trade expectations of unchanged on the week.
In the top production state of Kansas, the winter wheat harvest gained 17 points to 20% complete, versus 49% last year and 31% on average. However, the Oklahoma harvest was largely stalled, gaining only 5 points to 35% done, far behind 93% last year and 73% on average.
The Soft Red harvest in Michigan was 1% complete as of Sunday, unchanged on the week and compared to 0% for last year and the average, while 2% of the Ohio crop was in the bin, behind 15% last year and 4% on average.
The national winter wheat crop was rated 49% good to excellent as of Sunday, down 3 points from a week earlier.
As for spring wheat, the condition of the North Dakota crop added 2 points from a week earlier to 68% good to excellent, while the Minnesota crop held steady at 89%. On the other hand, the condition of the South Dakota crop tumbled 18 points to 52% good to excellent, while the drought-hit Montana crop lost 6 points to fall to only 10%.
An estimated 93% of the US spring wheat crop had emerged as of Sunday, up from 89% a week earlier and behind 99% last year and 97% on average. The crop was 17% headed as of Sunday, up 13 points on the week and compared to 16% last year and 18% on average.
