Storms lift hopes for US winter wheat

Winter storms have improved prospects for the shrunken winter wheat crop in the US, as the crop appears to be in a better state than at this time last year.

The storms are forecast to continue over much of the US for the rest of February and into March, which bode well for seedlings when they restart growing in earnest.

US winter wheat should benefit from more than adequate soil moisture levels when the crop comes out of dormancy this spring, and the conditions would help offset the impact of reduced plantings, said an analyst.

US farmers have reduced winter wheat sowings to 37.1 million acres, the lowest since 1913, due to weak prices and late corn and soy harvests which left fields tied up with standing crops.

Winter wheat rated as good or excellent was 56% in Kansas, down from 53% from a year ago; down from 75% to 55% in Nebraska; up from 24% to 61% in Oklahoma; and up from 12% to 31% in Texas, according to the USDA.