Winter wheat harvest passes halfway mark

Arkansas producers lead the country

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

American farmers have completed over half of their 2018 winter wheat harvest.

Producers have harvested about 51 percent of the national winter wheat crop, the USDA’s July 3 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin report says. That figure represents a 10 percent increase from last week.

On the state level, growers in Arkansas have finished their winter wheat harvest. Farmers in Oklahoma follow closely behind, having combined 98 percent of their crop.

Producers in Oregon have harvested about 2 percent of their crop, the USDA says. Another five states (Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota and Washington) have yet to begin harvest.

The USDA ranked 28 percent of the national winter wheat crop as good.

Soybeans

U.S. soybean acres continue to bloom across the country.

Around 27 percent of the national soybean crop has flowered, the USDA says. That number is up from 12 percent last week.

Soybeans in Louisiana are 82 percent bloomed, which is the highest percentage among the 18 states documented.

The crop in South Dakota is 7 percent flowered. That represents the lowest progress in the U.S.

The USDA ranked 55 percent of the 2018 American soybean crop as good.

Corn

The nation’s corn crop continues to silk.

About 17 percent of the crop has silked, the USDA says. That figure represents a 12 percent increase from last week.

Corn in North Carolina is 68 percent silked. That percentage is the highest among the 18 documented states.

The crops in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Minnesota are only 1 percent silked, and corn in the Dakotas and Colorado has yet to silk.

The USDA ranked 55 percent of the corn crop as good.

Suitable fieldwork days

Eight states recorded seven suitable fieldwork days for the week ending July 1.

Those states were Oregon, Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

During that week, the states with the fewest suitable fieldwork days were:

Iowa – 3.2

Kentucky – 3.3

Tennessee and Minnesota – 3.8

Weekly precipitation levels

The next Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin will be released July 10.