The majority of winter wheat has come through the rough nasty weather of the past few months in fairly good shape. However, according to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey the Southern Plains and the Ohio Valley are experiencing some problems.
"The main problem so far has been the poor establishment in the fall and then continuing dryness in Texas with some of that dryness stretching as far north as southwestern Kansas," Rippey says.
Some eastern fields are having the opposite problem.
"It's been a very wet winter for the central and eastern Corn Belt," Rippey says. "We've seen some flooding, especially in low land areas, and we've seen some freeze-thaw cycles that can cause problems with the health of the plant come spring."
Another area that Rippey says is having some problems is far northern wheat fields that have experienced extreme cold temperatures without much snow cover.
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