Illinois wheat hit hard by winter weather

News

Illinois wheat hit hard by winter weather

February’s winter weather had a big impact on Illinois’ winter wheat crop.

The USDA says 46% of the crop is in good to excellent, down 19% from the end of January, with 51% now rated fair, a jump of 27%, and 3% called poor to very poor, a decline of 8%.

Winterkill could be an issue in parts of the state because of a lack of snow cover, but the extent of the damage won’t be known until the crop emerges from dormancy.

The average monthly temperature was 14 degrees, less than half of normal, while precipitation was a little bit below the usual level.

The USDA’s weekly crop progress and condition reports resume in April.

.