Winter wheat conditions improved slightly last week but remained at a two-decade low, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service released in its final Crop Progress Report last Tuesday. The weekly reports, which run from the beginning of April to the end of November each year, will resume on Monday, April 3, 2023.
Nationally, winter wheat emerged reached 91%, even with the previous year and up one percentage point from the average. Winter wheat conditions for the 18 states reported rated 34% good to excellent, 40% fair and 26% poor to very poor.
Cotton harvested in the U.S. reached 84%, even with the previous year and up 5 percentage points from the average.
In Oklahoma, winter wheat emerged reached 95%, unchanged from the previous year but up 1 point from normal. Wheat conditions rated 30% good to excellent, 45% fair and 24% poor to very poor. (Last week, good to excellent ratings were at 23%.)
Cotton harvested reached 84%, up 1 point from the previous year and up 7 points from normal. Cotton conditions rated 5% good to excellent, 31% fair and 64% poor to very poor.
Soybeans harvested reached 90%, up 4 points from the previous year and up 9 points from normal. Soybean conditions rated 19% good to excellent, 44% fair and 37% poor to very poor.
With hay, the fifth cutting of alfalfa hay reached 70%, up 14 points from the previous year and up 5 points from the previous week. The fourth cutting of other hay reached 65%, up 17 points from the previous year and up 5 points from the previous week.
In the Pasture, Range and Livestock category, livestock conditions rated 24% good to excellent, 56% fair and 20% poor to very poor. Pasture and range conditions rated 16% good to excellent, 27% fair and 57% poor to very poor.
Since last week, good to excellent pasture and range ratings have increased by nine percentage points.