Just like corn and soybeans, the 2026 U.S. spring wheat crop is getting off on a slightly worse footing compared to last year.
Meanwhile, the early U.S. winter wheat harvest is running ahead of a year ago.
The national spring wheat crop was rated 47% good to excellent as of Sunday in Monday’s weekly USDA crop progress report – 3 points below the previous year.
At 58% good to excellent, the crop in the No. 1 production state of North Dakota was 10 points above last year, while the Minnesota crop was 7 points below at 78%. The South Dakota crop was rated 44% good to excellent, compared to 52% last year. The Montana crop was rated just 1% good (0% excellent) as of Sunday, well down from 33% a year ago. The bulk of the Montana crop (84%) was rated in fair condition, with 15% rated in poor to very poor condition.
An estimated 73% of the American spring wheat crop had emerged as of Sunday, up from 60% a week earlier and compared to 76% last year and 69% on average. Planting of the crop was 95% done as of Sunday, up from 87% the previous week and ahead of 93% last year and 90% on average.
The harvest of the U.S. winter wheat crop was 5% complete as of Sunday, 2 points ahead of last year and the five-year average.
Most of the progress to date has been in Oklahoma and Texas, where the crop was an identical 23% in the bin. For Oklahoma, that’s far ahead of 4% last year and 8% on average. In Texas, the harvest pace was slightly behind last year and the average at 24% done for both.
The American winter wheat crop was rated 26% good to excellent as of Sunday, unchanged on the week but still down sharply from last year’s 52% good to excellent.
The Michigan and Ohio crops were rated 61% and 60% good to excellent, compared to 58% and 68% a week earlier. The Kansas crop was steady at 15% good to excellent.
The national winter wheat crop was 87% headed as of Sunday, up from 78% a week earlier and ahead of 79% on average.
