Winter wheat drought shows improvement
The amount of U.S. winter wheat considered in drought conditions decreased to 70% for the week ended March 22, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. USDA rated winter wheat drought as 21% “moderate,” 31% “severe,” 16% “extreme,” and 2% “exceptional." Last week, USDA said winter wheat drought was 18% “moderate,” 32% “severe,” 20% “extreme,” and 3% “exceptional.”
For HRW areas, the area considered abnormally dry/drought in Kansas dropped 22 points to 77%. Oklahoma had a five-point drop in the area classified as abnormally dry/drought to 87%. Nebraska had 99% of its area listed as abnormally dry/drought, a one-point reduction. The abnormally dry/drought area in Montana decreased by two points to 87%. Texas (96%), South Dakota (82%) and Colorado (100%) remained the same.
In SRW areas, the abnormally dry/drought area in North Carolina reduced by 14 points to 44%. Missouri had 26% of its area listed abnormally dry/drought area, a ten-point decline. Arkansas had a five-point drop in the area classified as abnormally dry/drought to 35%. Michigan (53%), Illinois (28%), Ohio (0%) and Indiana (0%) had the same percentage of the area considered abnormally dry/drought as the previous week.
