The U.S. winter wheat harvest moved to nearly three-quarters complete this past week, while spring wheat conditions deteriorated markedly amid increasingly dry northern Plains conditions.
Monday's USDA crop progress report showed the national winter wheat harvest reached 74% complete as of Sunday, up 7 points from a week earlier. Progress was ahead of both the 72% reported a year earlier and the five-year average of 71%.
In Kansas, the largest winter wheat-producing state, harvest advanced to 98% complete from 97% a week earlier, compared with 96% last year and the 94% average. Oklahoma reached 100%, up from 99%, while Texas moved to 96% from 94%.
Harvest also accelerated sharply in the Soft Red Winter region. Ohio reached 94% complete, up 18 points from the previous week and ahead of its 92% average. Michigan surged to 59% from 22%, compared with the 51% average, while Illinois advanced to 95% from 88%.
Meanwhile, the U.S. spring wheat crop was rated 53% good to excellent as of Sunday, down 5 points from the previous week but slightly above the 52% rating from a year earlier.
The condition of the crop in the No. 1 production state of North Dakota fell 7 points to 58% good to excellent, while Minnesota slipped 3 points to 89%. Montana dropped 8 points to 25%, and South Dakota declined 6 points to 42%.
Spring wheat development continued to advance rapidly. Nationally, 86% of the crop was headed, up from 72% a week earlier, matching last year and slightly ahead of the 85% average.
North Dakota reached 92% headed, up from 78%, while Minnesota climbed to 95% from 78%. Montana advanced to 59% from 41%, and South Dakota reached 100%.
