Wheat Plantings Update 04.30.2007

This past week the conditions for United States wheat fell back and the Spring wheat seeding remained at the slowest pace in 10 years.  Although warming temperatures  and  clear skies allowed some Midwest producers  to begin  planting, the 2007 season got off to a slow start due to cool wet soil in many parts of the Plains and Midwest.
The excellent winter wheat ratings fell only 1% (to 54%) but the U.S. winter wheat condition index fell by 9 points and the poor/very poor ratings rose by 4% to (21%) when KS, AR and NC reported large jumps in these poorest-rating categories. 

Soft Red Ratings

Further drops also occurred in the soft red ratings in AR, IN and MO, but ratings in most of the Plains states hard red areas were a little better this week.  The cool and damp conditions moderated in the Northern Plains late last week allowing 8% more of spring wheat plantings and bringing the 2007 pace to 14% (versus the five year average of 27%).  A reduction in insurance payments, a lack of quality corn seeds and the uncertainty of crop damage has limited most producers from digging up their damaged wheat fields and replanting to another crop, according to press reports, but this might still change if the damaged wheat doesn't improve this week.

Midwest Corn Plantings

Last week, Midwest corn plantings began, but the U.S. progress was limited with only a 7% jump to 11% versus the 22% jump over the last five years for April 22nd.  In Iowa and Illinois seeding was reported at 8% and 13%, yet these two leading states are significantly behind their five year averages.  The northern states of MN, ND and SD are also off to a very slow start with only 1% of SD planted so far.

There were storms over the weekend in the WCB and a large front moving into the Midwest in the middle of the week the corn plantings for 2007 are likely to be curtailed with possibly just a 10% rise from seedings done ahead of this storm's arrival which is expected to deliver 1-3 inches of rain.  This suggests that by next week corn plantings could be 50% behind the five-year average pace and could put this year's crop in jeopardy of not achieving 70% in the ground by mid-May, the benchmark for a good U.S. corn yield.