Market News & Headlines >> U.S. Winter Wheat Conditions Steady

Overall U.S. winter wheat condition ratings held steady last week and remained higher than a year earlier despite some deterioration of HRW wheat conditions in the central/southern Plains. 

Monday afternoon’s weekly crop progress update from USDA rated U.S. winter wheat conditions 58% good/excellent as of Sunday, compared with 55% a year earlier. Crop emergence was put at 92% on par with a year earlier and the five-year average. 

Crop conditions did show deterioration in the top winter wheat state of Kansas, where the western third of the state remains dry. The Kansas crop was rated 52% good/excellent, down from 55% a week earlier, but still up from 48% a year earlier. 

The good/excellent rating for Oklahoma’s crop slipped to 53% from 56% a week earlier, but remained 2 percentage points above a year earlier. 

Midwest SRW wheat conditions remained strong with the crop rated 87% good/excellent in Ohio, 70% good/excellent in Illinois and 68% good/excellent in both Indiana and Michigan. 

The weekly crop progress report was USDA’s final one for the 2016 season. The next weekly update on U.S. winter wheat conditions will be released in early April. A number of major producing states will release monthly state condition updates.