The condition of the US winter wheat crop slipped this past week, with significant downgrades in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Meanwhile, American spring wheat planting is now underway in all the major production states.
Monday’s USDA crop progress report pegged the national winter wheat crop at 55% good to excellent as of Sunday, down a single point on the week but still comfortably above last year’s 27% good to excellent rating. That portion of the 2024 crop rated in poor to very poor condition ticked another point higher on the week to 13%, versus 39% a year ago.
In the top production state of Kansas, which was expected to see temperatures into the 90s degrees F and gusty winds over the weekend, the crop was rated 43% good to excellent as of Sunday, down 6 points from a week earlier. The condition of the Oklahoma crop saw an even steeper fall, dropping 8 points on the week to 60% good to excellent. Just over the past two weeks alone, the Oklahoma crop has slumped 13 points amid increasing dryness in parts of the state.
In contrast, crop conditions improved closer to the Great Lakes. The Soft Red crop in Michigan was up 6 points on the week to 68% good to excellent as of Sunday, while the Ohio crop added 3 points 70%. Over the past two weeks, the Michigan and Ohio crops' condition improved by 12 and 8 points, respectively.
An estimated 11% of the winter wheat crop had reached the heading stage as of Sunday, up 5 points on the week and 4 points ahead of average. In Oklahoma, 15% of the crop was headed, versus 8% on average.
As for the US spring wheat crop, it was 7% planted as of Sunday, up 4 points from a week earlier and ahead of 2% last year and 6% on average.
Planting in Minnesota inched up 1 point on the week to 3% done, 1 point ahead of the state average, while Montana’s crop was 2% planted, compared to 1% last year and 5% on average.
In the No. 1 spring wheat state of North Dakota, 3% of the crop was in as of Sunday, on par with the state average. Almost one-quarter (23%) of the South Dakota crop was already planted as of Sunday, up from just 5% the previous week and far ahead of 1% last year and 13% on average.
