The condition of the drought-plagued U.S. winter wheat crop slipped further this past week, while spring wheat planting remained ahead of the average pace.
The U.S. winter wheat crop was rated just 26% good to excellent as of Sunday in Tuesday’s weekly USDA crop progress report. That is down 1 point from the previous week and now 24 points below last year. Going into today’s report, most traders and analysts were expecting a 1-point improvement in the condition of the crop.
The crop was rated 44% poor to very poor as of Sunday, compared to just 19% a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the national spring wheat crop was 86% planted as of Sunday, up from 73% a week earlier, on par with last year and 7 points ahead of the five-year average. Traders and analysts were looking for the crop to be 87% planted in today’s report.
At 15% and 12% good to excellent, the condition of the Kansas and Oklahoma crops were unchanged from a week earlier, while the condition of the Soft Red crop in Michigan dropped a hefty 6 points to 58% good to excellent. The Ohio crop was unchanged at 68% good to excellent.
The national winter wheat crop was 78% headed as of Sunday, up 6 points from the previous week and ahead of 73% last year and 70% on average. The Kansas crop was already 97% headed, 10 points ahead of the state average, while the Michigan crop was at just 9% headed, well behind 22% for both last year and the average. The Ohio crop was 84% headed, versus 69% last year and 58% on average.
In the top spring wheat production state of North Dakota, planting advanced 17 points on the week to 83% done as of Sunday, even with last year and ahead of 71% on average.
Minnesota planting gained 13 points to 93% complete, an identical 13 points ahead of average, while the Montana crop was 84% planted – a single point ahead of the average. Planting in South Dakota is nearly complete at 98%, on par with the average.
The national spring wheat crop was 56% emerged as of Sunday, up from 39% a week earlier and compared to 58% last year and 51% on average.
