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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Northwest Wheat Strength Increases

From Staff And Wire Reports

U.S. corn growers made good progress planting their crop last week, while the quality of the winter wheat crop slipped further everywhere but the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday.

By Sunday, 41 percent of the corn crop was planted, compared with 22 percent a week earlier and 17 percent at this point a year ago.

Of the nation’s winter wheat crop, which is planted in the fall and harvested a year later, 48 percent was reported in very poor or poor condition, compared with 46 percent a week earlier. Drought and early freezes have plagued the crop.

The opposite situation exist in Washington, however, where the same rains that caused flooding earlier in the year have fed a potential bumper crop rated 92 percent in good-to-excellent condition.

Washington wheat farmers have completed two-thirds of their spring planting, behind last year’s pace when 75 percent was seeded by now.

, DataTimes