Winter Wheat Shows Little Freeze Damage

A new government report says just under half the Kansas winter wheat crop shows no damage from the hard freezes that hit the state in April.

But Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service also reported Monday the wheat is running about three weeks behind normal development amid unseasonably cool spring temperatures. The agency rated the crop as 21 percent very poor, 20 percent poor, 31 percent fair, 25 percent good and 3 percent excellent.

Farmers took advantage of a few dry days last week to plant and prepare fields, although they’re getting a late start.

Corn planting is running well behind average at only 31 percent complete. Plantings of sorghum, soybeans and cotton were all only 1 percent completed.

Pasture conditions remain poor to very poor across 60 percent of Kansas.