CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The condition of the hard red winter wheat crop in Kansas, the biggest U.S. wheat production state, improved in the latest week but farmers were still concerned about soil moisture levels, according to a government report.
The Kansas wheat crop was rated 29 percent good to excellent as of March 17, up two percentage points from a week earlier, according to the Kansas field office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Most of the state received only light rain during the week and top soil moisture was rated 49 percent short or very short.
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In southern areas of the country, farmers were getting a fast start on spring planting.
Corn seeding in Louisiana was 56 percent complete, up from 35 percent a year ago and well ahead of the five-year average for mid-March of 21 percent.
Rice planting was 25 percent finished compared to five-year average of eight percent and NASS’s Louisiana office said weather conditions were excellent.
In Texas, 42 percent of the corn crop was planted, ahead of the five-year average of 33 percent. Wheat was rated 16 percent good to excellent and windy conditions depleted some of the already sparse soil moisture during the past week.
