CHICAGO, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Condition ratings for winter wheat improved during January in Kansas, the top U.S. winter wheat state, but declined elsewhere in the Plains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.
The government rated 55 percent of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition for the month ended Jan. 31, up from 54 percent in its previous monthly report.
The ratings were up from a year ago, when 46 percent of the Kansas wheat crop was rated good to excellent.
Ratings declined slightly in Oklahoma, with 74 percent of the wheat rated good to excellent, down from 77 percent a month earlier.
But Oklahoma’s ratings were the highest for the end of January since at least 2010 and marked a significant improvement from a year ago, when only 41 percent of the state’s crop was seen as good to excellent.
In the Midwest, the USDA rated 65 percent of the Illinois wheat crop as good to excellent, up from 58 percent at the end of December.
Topsoil moisture was adequate in 74 percent of the state, with surplus moisture noted in 26 percent following heavy storms and flooding in December.
