Moisture conditions continued to deteriorate across North Dakota this past week, further increasing the risk of stress and yield losses for crops such as spring wheat and durum as the growing season advances.
The latest weekly update of the U.S. drought monitor on Thursday showed almost 17% of the state impacted by some form of drought as of Tuesday, up 6 points from a week earlier and now almost double that of the end of June (see map below).
Meanwhile, more than half of North Dakota (54%) was considered abnormally dry as of Tuesday, compared to about one-third at the end of June.
The North Dakota Wheat Commission said in its weekly wheat update that temperatures during the past seven to 10 days were well above normal, stressing spring wheat and durum, particularly in areas already short of moisture.
July rainfall has also been well below normal across much of the state, although crop conditions remain highly variable. Some producers report that wheat fields still look relatively good and are relying on moisture received earlier in the growing season. In drier areas, however, conditions have deteriorated enough that some spring wheat and durum fields are being cut for hay to feed livestock, the wheat commission update said.
Monday's USDA crop progress report pegged the national spring wheat crop at 53% good to excellent as of Sunday, down a hefty 5 points from the previous week although still a single point better than a year ago.
The North Dakota crop was rated above the national average at 58% good to excellent but that was a drop of 7 points on the week and 9 points below last year.
The first two days of the Wheat Quality Council’s spring wheat tour this week found generally average but highly variable spring wheat yield potential across North Dakota, with dry areas showing increasing stress but little widespread disease pressure. Scouts estimated a weighted average yield of 45.9 bu/acre on the first day, down from 49.8 bu on the same routes last year.
Temperatures are expected to remain near average for the next few days before trending above normal again over the weekend, raising the risk of additional crop stress if rainfall remains limited.
