The winter wheat crop was planted amid drought in the Plains and, for the third week in a row, remains in poor shape, said the weekly Crop Progress report on Monday. Winter wheat accounts for the bulk of U.S. wheat production.
The USDA report said 33 percent of the crop was in poor or very poor condition, little change from the first report of the season on Oct. 31, when 35 percent was poor or very poor. Some 32 percent was rated as good or excellent this week, 4 points higher than on Oct. 31.
A year ago, only 22 percent of winter wheat was in poor or very poor condition and 44 percent rated good or excellent.
Drought covers three-quarters of winter wheat territory, a sharp increase from 53 percent at the end of August. Nine out of 10 acres of winter wheat in Kansas, which usually grows 25 percent of the U.S. crop, were in drought.