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US wheat planting lags as dryness pressures growers
USDA data show winter wheat planting progress at 4% in North Dakota and 1% in Wyoming, while topsoil moisture rated short to very short ranges from 49% in Nebraska to 89% in Oklahoma.
Dry, hot conditions are delaying US hard red winter wheat planting across parts of the Northern Plains, as growers weigh drought risk against improved wheat economics. World Grain reports that planting was 4% complete in North Dakota as of Aug. 30 and 1% complete in Wyoming, and that planting had not yet begun in key hard red winter wheat states including Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.
Topsoil moisture remains a central concern, with the USDA rating it short to very short across much of the region. World Grain cites figures including 66% in Kansas, 88% in Oklahoma, 89% in Texas, 81% in Colorado, 49% in Nebraska, 80% in South Dakota and 72% in Montana.
Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin said growers still have several weeks before planting accelerates, with Kansas typically ramping up in late September and October and crop insurance deadlines varying by region. He also noted that heat and dryness have damaged some summer crops, and failed corn acreage or early-harvested fields could create opportunities to plant wheat behind them for grain production or ground cover.
Gilpin said a potential increase in wheat acres will be influenced by both planting conditions and a run-up in prices, adding that the outlook has changed sharply versus a year ago. World Grain reports cash values for mid-12%-protein hard red winter wheat rose about $3.49 per bushel, from roughly $5.93¼ on Sept. 2, 2025, to about $9.42¼ on Sept. 1, 2026, with hard red spring wheat also strengthening, while the winter wheat premium has widened enough to attract miller attention.
Latest closeWheat $774.75 ▲1.4%|Corn $542.50 ▲4.0%