CHICAGO, Feb 29 (Reuters) – Winter wheat condition ratings improved during February in Kansas, the top U.S. winter wheat state, as well as in Nebraska and South Dakota, but declined in other key Plains states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.
The government rated 59 percent of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition for the month ended Feb. 29, up from 55 percent in its previous monthly report.
The ratings were also up from a year ago.
However, “spring-like conditions prompted winter wheat to break dormancy early,” the USDA’s Kansas crop report said, a factor that could leave the wheat vulnerable to a cold snap later on.
Ratings fell in Oklahoma, the No. 3 producer last year, with 68 percent of the wheat rated good to excellent, down from 74 percent a month earlier. Oklahoma’s ratings were still significantly higher compared with last year.
The biggest decline was in Montana, the No. 4 winter wheat state, where 53 percent of the crop was rated good to excellent, down from 72 percent a month ago.
“Winter damage to winter wheat increased from the previous month as a result of decreased snow coverage,” the state’s crop report said.
In the Midwest, the USDA rated 58 percent of the Illinois wheat crop as good to excellent, a drop from 65 percent at the end of January.
USDA issued its last national winter wheat ratings of the season on Nov. 30, 2015, pegging 55 percent of the U.S. crop as good to excellent.
The government will resume weekly U.S. crop progress reports in April. Over the winter, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service releases monthly reports for select states.
