The first national crop progress report of 2024 shows the condition of the US winter wheat crop up sharply from a year earlier.
Released Monday after market close, the report pegged the nationwide winter wheat crop at 56% good to excellent as of Sunday, 28 points above a year earlier. Just 11% of the crop was rated in poor to very poor condition, compared to 36% last year. The average pre-report guess had the crop at 57% good to excellent, which would have been the highest since 2016.
The crop in the top production state of Kansas was reported at 48% good to excellent, way above 16% last year, while the Oklahoma crop came in at 73% good to excellent, a major 47 points above last year.
At 56% good to excellent, the condition of the Soft Red crop in Michigan was down a single point on the year, but Ohio was up 8 points from last year at 67%.
Meanwhile, an estimated 1% of the American spring wheat crop was planted as of Sunday, on par with the five-year average. The bulk of the spring wheat planting to date has occurred in Idaho and Washington, although 1% of the crop was in the ground in South Dakota, a single point behind average.
National corn planting was 2% complete as of Sunday, even with last year and the average, with more than half of the crop (57%) in the ground in Texas. All other states were 2% planted or less.
