Market News & Headlines >> Winter Wheat Conditions Continue Improvement

The condition of the U.S. winter wheat crop improved for the fourth week in a row last week following beneficial precipitation in the U.S. Plains and Midwest.

In its weekly crop update released Monday afternoon, USDA rated 53% of the winter wheat crop in good/excellent condition, up 1 percentage point from a week earlier, but still 5 percentage points below a year earlier. The rating was in line with the average of trade expectations in a Reuters News Service survey. 

In the top winter wheat producing state of Kansas to the condition rating improved to 47% good/excellent from 46% a week earlier, while the good/excellent rating for the Oklahoma crop was up 2 points also to 47%. The good/excellent rating for the Texas crop improved 4 points to 52%. 

SRW wheat conditions showed improvement in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, with the Illinois crop rated 64% good/excellent, up from 61% previously, the Indiana crop rated 59% good/excellent, up from 56% a week earlier and the Missouri crop rated 49% good/excellent versus 43% previously.