Progress for the US winter wheat crop has been slow across the board, mainly as a result of winter freeze damage across the southern Plains this autumn.
The bad news about the freeze damage for the southern Plains, however, has been partially offset by some highly beneficial rain in the last week.
So nationally, the winter crop numbers are a bit better this week, with 43pc of the crop rated good to excellent, but 27pc of the winter crop outlook is now rated very poor to poor.
US Department of Agriculture meteorologist Brad Rippey says some additional winter freeze problems are now showing up in Oklahoma.
“We see 60pc of the crop there rated very poor to poor,” Rippey says.
“That’s up from 50pc just a week ago, as the damage becomes more apparent.”
Texas has been in the worst shape all along, with the percentage of the wheat crop rated very poor to poor jumping from 67pc to 74pc.
“The Texas crop was already severely stressed by drought to begin with,” Rippey says.
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