Weekly USDA wheat ratings rise in Kansas, Texas; decline in Oklahoma

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in a weekly crop report on Monday rated 19% of the winter wheat in top producer Kansas in good to excellent condition, up from 17% the previous week.

* U.S. farmers planted 36.950 million acres (14.953 million hectares) of winter wheat for 2023, the most in eight years, the USDA said on Jan. 12. But dry conditions have threatened crop prospects in portions of the southern Plains winter wheat belt.

* Approximately 53% of U.S. winter wheat is produced in an area currently experiencing drought, the USDA said last week, a reduction from 55% a week earlier and down from 69% as the year began.

* For Texas, the No. 2 winter wheat state by planted area, the USDA on Monday rated 23% of the crop as good to excellent, up from 17% the previous week, while 44% was rated as poor to very poor, compared with 50% previously.

* The Texas corn crop was 40% planted, ahead of the state’s five-year average for the same time of year of 35%.

* For Oklahoma, the USDA rated 29% of the winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, down from 30% a week ago.

* For Colorado, the USDA rated 36% of the winter wheat as good to excellent, down from 40% the previous week.

* In Arkansas, where farmers grow soft red winter wheat used to make cookies and snack foods, the USDA rated 60% of the state’s wheat as good to excellent, down from 61% a week ago.

* The USDA rated 65% of the Louisiana winter wheat crop and 68% of Mississippi’s wheat as good to excellent, up from 64% and 57%, respectively, the prior week.

* Corn planting was 87% complete in Louisiana, 7% complete in Mississippi and 1% complete in Arkansas.

* The USDA issued its last national winter wheat ratings on Nov. 29, reporting 34% of the U.S. crop in good-to-excellent condition as of Nov. 27, the lowest for that time of year since 2012. Over the winter, the agency releases periodic reports for select states. The government will resume weekly U.S. crop progress reports in April.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Julie Ingwersen; Editing by Bradley Perrett)