06/27/06 U.S. winter wheat harvest 53% done

Farm and Ranch June 27, 2006 Reports in weekly Crop Weather Bulletins from the Agricultural Statistics Service say winter wheat in some areas of the northwest could be impacted from the current heat wave where wheat heads are in the grain filling stage. In some areas the crop is beginning to ripen. For the U.S. as a whole, the winter wheat harvest had passed the half-way mark by the start of this week, with 53 percent of the crop in the bin, well ahead of the 5-year average for this time of just 38 percent harvested. Meanwhile, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the condition of the U.S. spring wheat crop is still declining. Rippey: "The crop continues to slide especially in the southern growing areas. 57% good to excellent on June 25th. That is down three points from a week ago and down 20 points, 77% good to excellent this time last year. South Dakota with the biggest problems, 49% very poor to poor on June 25th. And we are getting to a very critical stage because of the spring crop is heading out, 48% of the crop headed nationally. The 5-year average 23%. So we have a very quick crop this year especially in the Plain's states with Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota heading out at a pace more than twice the normal. We do see some delays due to previously cool weather in the Pacific Northwest, but that is being more than offset by the Plains' states." In the Northwest, Washington's spring wheat crop is lagging the most. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.