Cool weather in eastern Kansas has delayed development of the winter wheat crop but anything is better than last year.
“We really didn’t have any wheat last year,” said Dean Stites, agriculture agent for the Kansas State University Extension Service in Crawford County.
“We got a really bad freeze for three nights in a row in early April and it basically destroyed the wheat crop.”
Southeastern Kansas may have avoided a killing frost so far this year but statistics indicate that across the state, this year’s hard winter wheat crop is poorer than in 2007.
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As of March 30, 44 percent of the 2008 Kansas crop is rated as good to excellent, compared to 77 percent in 2007. As well, 20 percent of this year’s crop is rated poor to very poor, while only four percent was in that category last year.
Cold weather in the eastern half of the state and lack of rain in the west have combined to hinder crop development.
As of March 30, only 10 percent of the wheat crop was jointed, compared to a five-year average of 22 percent.
The wheat crop in Crawford County in the southeastern corner of the state is three weeks behind normal development. Spring weather has been unusually cool, Stites said, slowing the crop’s growth.
Despite this, he described the condition of wheat crops in the county as “fairly good” because that part of the state has received more rain than the western half of Kansas.
“We’ve had a very dry winter,” said Dean Whitehall, a state agriculture agent for in Kinney County in southwestern Kansas.
“There was a little moisture about a week or 10 days ago … but we need (more) moisture.”
The state’s weekly crop progress report said 42 percent of the topsoil in southwestern Kansas is 94 percent short or very short, west central is 78 short or very short and northwest 42 percent short or very short.
In comparison, the topsoil in eastern Kansas either has adequate moisture or a surplus of water.
Whitehall said 50 percent of the wheat crop in his area looks poor and only 20 percent is in good condition.
Dry conditions are also expected to limit wheat production to average or below in Oklahoma and Texas.
“Our wheat is up to a good stand in this county,” said Scott Strawn, county extension agent for agriculture in Ochiltree County, in the northeast part of the Texas panhandle.
“The irrigated acres look real good, but it’s needing a drink on the dry land.”
The dryness is typical of the region. Strawn said two-thirds of the county’s winter wheat acres are on dry, or non-irrigated land.
Winter wheat is the dominant crop in Ochiltree, he said, in “acreage and dollar wise,” which is why rain is urgently needed in the next few weeks.
“We need the rain yesterday,” he said.
The situation in Oklahoma is similar. As of March 30, 49 percent of Oklahoma’s wheat crop was rated as good to excellent. Last year at the same time, 74 percent was in good to excellent condition.
