Winter Wheat Plantings Ahead Of 2019 Numbers

"The thing to note is that several states across the plains and the Northwest still dealing with the impact of drought," said USDA Meteorologist, Brad Rippey. "So we see in those states, ahead of average planting progress, but below average emergence which is suggestive of not only the drought but the more recent cold weather.

One of the more challenging areas right  now is here in the Northwest.

"So kind of the poster child for this problem is Oregon at this point dealing with some very serious drought in the Northwest."

Meanwhile, winter wheat condition overall improved slightly from last week, but five states have at least one fifth of their crops rated in very poor to poor condition.

"It's worth noting that for this point in the season this is the lowest overall winter wheat condition that we have seen in the country in this century going back 20 years. So it is a tough start even with the moisture that we saw last week across the central and southern plains."

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