The first crop progress and condition report of the year is here from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. It puts the emphasis is on wheat.
Winter wheat condition was 1 percent very poor, 3 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 58 percent good and 10 percent excellent.
“Last year, the wheat crop was in very difficult shape,” says market advisor John Heinberg with Total Farm Marketing. “We got a much better winter wheat crop coming this year. That’s keeping the wheat market a little bit in check today.”
Nationally, producers planted 2 percent of corn — slightly above average. Heinberg expects the crop progress to pick up this month.
“We’ll start seeing those numbers start picking up,” he says. “With the moisture that’s been forecasted that’s coming through, it sounds like conditions are going to be in pretty good shape.”
In the past week, snow delayed fieldwork in northern Wisconsin. Rain hampered fieldwork in the southern part of the state. NASS heard scattered reports of corn and oat plantings in southern Wisconsin.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 8 percent very short, 19 percent short, 62 percent adequate, and 11 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 11 percent very short, 28 percent short, 55 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus. According to NASS data, topsoil moisture at this time of year is the driest since 2021.
The oat planting progress was 2 percent complete, while spring tillage was 3 percent complete.
Pasture and range condition was 18 percent very poor, 14 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 20 percent good and 5 percent excellent.
