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Contrasting spring wheat crops

An extension grain marketing economist says western Plains drought is extremely concentrated and the surrounding spring wheat crop is thriving.

Ed Usset with the University of Minnesota tells Brownfield for as bad as the growing season has been in the Dakotas and Montana, areas east and west are enjoying very good conditions.

“Idaho, and the western third to half of Montana (are having good years).  And Minnesota, which is sort of the eastern end of the spring wheat Belt.  They’re doing quite well.  So there is some spring wheat out there.”

 

Usset says that’s not to downplay the situation in South Dakota, the western half of North Dakota and the eastern half of Montana.

“This is a drought, pure and simple.  It’s the worst conditions they’ve seen since 1988, which makes it the second-worst conditions recorded by USDA over the last 30 years.”

The latest crop progress report shows nearly 75 percent of the South Dakota spring wheat crop is in poor to very poor condition.

By contrast, more than 80 percent of Minnesota’s spring wheat acreage is rated in the good to excellent category.