January 30, 2013

Drought conditions have severely affected US winter wheat in Kansas and neighbouring Oklahoma.

The proportion of the Kansas wheat crop rated in "good" or "excellent" condition fell four points to 20% this month, data from state farm officials said.

The figures also represented a sharp deterioration from a year before, when 49% of winter wheat was rated good or excellent, and 12% poor or very poor.

Farm officials in Oklahoma said that "conditions of all small grains and canola declined over the past month and were rated mostly poor or very poor", to the extent of 69%.

Just 5% of winter wheat was seen in good health, and none rated excellent.

Most districts received 50% or less of normal rainfall last month, at a time when they had already been in drought for months.

All of Kansas is also in drought, rated exceptional or extreme in 80% of the state.

With Kansas and Oklahoma typically responsible for about 20% of US wheat production, the drought - which has a firm grip on the likes of Colorado and Nebraska too - has raised fears for the 2013 harvest, particularly of the hard red winter wheat prevalent in the worst-affected states.