05/10/05 Winter wheat ratings drop

Farm and Ranch May 10, 2005 This week's crop condition ratings from the USDA shows a drop in the condition of the nation's winter wheat crop. Department meteorologist Brad Rippey says freeze damage from late April and early May is beginning to show up. Added to that are dry conditions in parts of the hard red winter wheat belt. Rippey: "Interestingly we are seeing effects of recent dry weather. The last couple of months have been very dry in much of Oklahoma and Texas and there we have seen the percentage of the crop in poor to very poor condition climbing gradually over the past couple of weeks. Oklahoma now 18% very poor to poor. Texas 17% very poor to poor. That has dragged down the national conditions. Two weeks ago we saw the winter wheat 68% good to excellent. That number now stands at 59%. And we have also seen the percentage of the crop very poor to poor creep up to 11%." Washington showed the biggest decline in good to excellent ratings in the Pacific Northwest this past week dropping from 84% good excellent last week to 73 percent good to excellent this week. Idaho's good to excellent ratings increased a percentage point to 96 percent. Oregon's winter wheat is rated 58 percent good to excellent, up three points from last week. USDA reports that nationally 44 percent of the winter wheat crop is headed. The five-year average for now is 47%. Spring wheat seeding across the country is well ahead of the historic pace at 80 percent complete. So is corn planting. USDA says 79 percent of the U.S. corn crop was in the ground to start this week. That compares to the five-year average at this time of 67 percent. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.