Drought worsens in winter wheat belt in past month
Drought intensified in winter wheat states during April, a crucial period for crop development, according to USDA’s AginDrought site. Ten pct of winter wheat land is under exceptional drought, the direst rating on a five-point scale of drought conditions, this week, compared to 4 pct at the start of the month. The area in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories, climbed to 23 pct by the end of April, from 16 pct at the start of the month.
Overall, drought affects 53 pct of winter wheat territory, compared to 38.43 pct of the 48 contiguous states. A large portion of the winter wheat crop is grown in the Plains states, where drought is widespread.
Some 34 pct of the U.S. winter wheat crop rated as poor or very poor condition in the latest Crop Progress report. In Kansas, 37 pct was poor or very poor. Some 67 pct of Oklahoma’s winter wheat was poor or very poor; 41 pct of the state is in exceptional drought.