The US spring wheat crop has rebounded from its second worst start to the growing season on record, but things are still going downhill in Montana.
Monday’s USDA crop progress report pegged the Montana spring wheat crop at just 16% good to excellent as of Sunday, down from 25% the previous week and now 20 points below the season’s first condition rating on May 26. As shown on the graphic below, it is the worst start for the spring wheat crop in the state since 2022, when an overly wet and late start to the growing season meant only 15% of the Montana crop was rated good to excellent in the first spring wheat condition report on June 12.
This year, it is the exact opposite problem for the Montana spring wheat crop, which is struggling amid dryness and drought. According to the latest US drought monitor, more than half of Montana (59%) was being impacted by some form of drought as of June 10, the highest since November 2024.
(In 2021, the Montana spring wheat crop started better but gradually deteriorated throughout the growing season due to unrelenting drought that walloped production across much of the US northern Plains and the Canadian Prairies).
The continued decline in this year’s Montana spring wheat crop rating stands in contrast to the improvement seen in other states, including the No. 1 producer, North Dakota. The North Dakota crop was rated 66% good to excellent as of Sunday, up 9 points from a week earlier and now 29 points better than the initial state rating of just 37% back in late May. The condition of the South Dakota crop has improved 15 points from late May to 70% good to excellent, while the Minnesota crop is now 7 points higher at 89%.
Overall, the national spring wheat crop was rated 57% good to excellent as of Sunday, a 4-point improvement on the week and up 12 points from the first rating of the season.
The national spring wheat crop condition rating still stands well below 76% good to excellent last year, but the latest crop update from the North Dakota Wheat Commission said things are looking up amid recent rainfall and more moderate temperatures.
Montana spring wheat areas did receive better precipitation levels over the past week, “which should help stabilize crop ratings and hopefully improve ratings if temperatures remain moderate,” the update said.
Montana was the third largest spring wheat production state last year, with a crop of 60.84 million bu – behind North Dakota at 309.75 million and Minnesota at 80.83 million.
Montana spring wheat planted area this year is estimated at 2.15 million acres, down 12% on the year but still second only to North Dakota’s 5.05 million.
