http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

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Farmers in southwest Kansas are less hopeful about the winter wheat crop as much of the wheat has not yet emerged. As of March 27, just 19% of the wheat was in good to excellent condition, while 52% is rated poor to very poor. Short to very short describes 77% of the subsoil moisture. Insurance adjusters were going to visit the area in coming weeks to adjust out the fields that haven’t emerged. Many counties have received half of normal precipitation for the past year or more. In Barber County where the soil is sandy, precipitation has been less than half of normal. Wheat plants were small and do not have many tillers. Some fields have been completely blown out by strong winds. In addition, winter grain mites and army cut worms were infesting the crops, which will limit yield potential. KSAL (Salina, Kan.), April 3, 2023