http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Intensifying drought in the Southern Plains threatens winter wheat from Kansas to Texas as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also lowers global supplies. Southwest Kansas has not received much measurable precipitation since October. More than half of Kansas is in severe drought or worse. Oklahoma and Texas, both big wheat growers, are also mostly in severe or worse drought. A smaller crop could further fuel food inflation. Agriculture.com (Des Moines, Iowa), March 14, 2022 Drought coverage in the continental U.S. increased by 1.65% over the last week and encompasses nearly 60% of the country, rivaling the 2012 drought, according to Drovers. Drought covered 65.5% of the U.S. in September 2012. Winter wheat from Kansas to Texas needs more moisture. The dryland crop has not even sprouted yet and is running out of time for growth. Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), March 3, 2022 The Feb. 28 crop report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that winter wheat conditions in most of Texas were rated very poor to poor as about 80% of the state was in drought. The wheat crop in the southern parts of the state is challenged by a lack of moisture. Wheat fields in the Coastal Bend are hanging on, but rain is needed soon to help the crop. In Far West Texas, wheat fields are nearly non-existent except for the irrigated fields that have not failed. However, the irrigated wheat is still in poor condition due to limited water supplies. Texas Farm Bureau (Waco, Texas), March 2, 2022