US Winter Wheat Harvest Reaches 75% in Latest Week, Spring Wheat Crop Ratings Decline

(S&P Global) – The pace of US winter wheat harvest for the 2019-2020 crop (June-May) slowed in the week ended July 28, reaching 75%, with harvest in states like Nebraska and Michigan still catching up with the year-ago pace, data from the US Department of Agriculture showed late Monday.

Winter wheat harvest in Nebraska reached 55% in the latest week, down from 88% a year ago. Recent rains in the state had caused harvest delays, according to US Wheat Associates.

While winter wheat harvest continued at a fast pace in Michigan in the latest week, reaching 45%, it is still behind the year-ago pace of 85%, the USDA data showed.

Wheat harvest in Kansas, the country’s largest winter wheat producing state, reached 98% from 96% in the week ended July 21.

Kansas struggled with severe wet conditions in May and early June, slowing down crop development in the region earlier.

Overall US winter wheat harvest in the latest week was below market expectations of 81%, and behind the year-ago pace of 84%.

SPRING WHEAT

A total of 73% of spring wheat crop across six key-producing states was reported to be in good to excellent conditions in the latest week, down 4 percentage points from at week ago and below market estimates of 76%.

The decline in spring wheat crop ratings were led by conditions seen in the Dakotas and Minnesota, market analysts said.

“Much of the [US spring wheat] region has received precipitation in the last few weeks with some isolated areas receiving heavy precipitation causing some crop damage,” according to North Dakota Wheat Commission.

Spring wheat was headed at 97% in the week ended July 21, compared with 92% in the past week, with good crop progress seen in Montana and South Dakota. Heading occurs when the head of the wheat plant fully emerges from the stem.