KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — Mid-winter precipitation has been a boon to winter wheat conditions in the northern Plains, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in monthly state crop updates issued Feb. 3. But aside from the top wheat production state of Kansas, conditions in dormant wheat fields in the central and southern Plains and in the Midwest have deteriorated during the past month, the Department said.
Montana, a state that continues to struggle with moderate to severe drought in its wheat-growing areas, scored the biggest improvement in winter wheat conditions in January, rising 29 percentage points to 71% good-to-excellent from 42% at the beginning of the year, the USDA said. In North Dakota, where the western and southern portions of the state remain mired in drought, good-to-excellent conditions improved to 46% by Feb. 3 from 40% on Jan. 6. And in South Dakota, where 100% of the state is in drought, conditions improved three percentage points to 25% good-to-excellent.
“January brought a mixed weather pattern to Montana, with varying average temperatures and wide-ranging precipitation totals when compared with monthly normals,” the USDA said. “National Weather Prediction Service data indicated that several locations across the state accumulated precipitation totaling more than 5 inches (snow water equivalent), while some areas remained dry or received only traces of moisture. The heavier accumulations were noted in western and central counties.”
Winter wheat conditions improved in January in the top US winter wheat production state of Kansas. The USDA office in Manhattan, Kansas, US, rated the state’s wheat 7% excellent, 43% good, 35% fair, 10% poor and 4% very poor as of Feb. 3. It was an improvement from 47% good-to-excellent on Jan. 6. The improved rating came despite cold weather events during the month that occurred just after a protective blanket of snow from back-to-back early January storms had melted in some areas.
“During the current cold stretch that began on Jan. 18 and lasted through Jan. 21, air temperatures have dropped as low as minus 15 degrees in lower valleys of the state,” said Romulo Lollato, a Kansas State University agronomist and wheat expert. “These temperatures were cold enough to cause leaf burn and, if soil temperatures reached these levels, could potentially cause winterkill. However, some areas of the state, central and northeast, were still snow-covered from the Jan. 6 snowfall event. Despite the west remaining mostly snow-free, soil temperatures at the 2-inch depth never dropped below 20 degrees across the state. Soil temperatures at these levels are likely not cold enough to cause winterkill to a well winter-hardened wheat crop.”
However, Lollato in the K-State Agronomy eUpdate noted western Kansas had only limited and shallow snow during the Jan. 18-21 cold snap and fields there may have some freeze damage.
“Where the crop had at least 2 to 3 inches of snow cover, this snow should have been sufficient to insulate the wheat crop from the coldest temperatures,” he said. “However, the combination of extremely cold air temperatures and lack of snow coverage, particularly in western Kansas, could leave the crop exposed and result in some winterkill, particularly in terrace tops, late-planted fields and other more exposed areas.”
Around the horn of the western and southern Plains, conditions worsened in January. The USDA said good-to-excellent winter wheat as of Feb. 3 comprised 37% of the crop in Texas (42% a week earlier), 40% in Oklahoma (45% a month earlier), 57% in Colorado (70%) and 25% in Nebraska (27%).
In the Central states where the most US soft winter wheat is produced, conditions slightly worsened to 65% good-to-excellent in Illinois (69% a month earlier) and to 55% in Ohio (57%). In the mid-Atlantic, North Carolina winter wheat was rated 56% good-to-excellent as of Feb. 3, down from 73% a month earlier.
Drought remains a concern for the 2025 winter wheat crop. The USDA review of the weekly US Drought Monitor said that 24% of US winter wheat was growing in drought as of Jan. 28, up from 23% a week earlier and compared with 17% a year ago. By state, wheat-in-drought areas were 21% in Kansas, 18% in Oklahoma, 11% in Texas, 6% in Colorado, 77% in Nebraska, 100% in South Dakota and 31% in Montana. Soft winter wheat areas generally had lower drought areas (27% in Missouri, 7% in Illinois, none in Indiana or Ohio) but had its own trouble spots, including Michigan (77% in drought) and North Carolina (97%).
Source: World Grain