Spring wheat planting progress picked up substantially this last week, but seeding is still well behind normal. Nationally 30-percent of the crop is planted, which is 20-percent behind. In South Dakota spring wheat planting stood at 51 percent, which was up sharply from last week’s 12-percent, but still behind the 78 percent average. State Wheat Commission Executive Director Reid Christopherson says farmers did make up a lot of ground last week.

Christopherson says the planting window for spring wheat is essentially closing, but it’s too early to know how many spring wheat acres will be abandoned and shifted to other crops. And there will be very few winter wheat acres abandoned.

He says the winter wheat crop in western South Dakota is getting dry and could use some moisture.

In Monday’s USDA report only 30-percent of the state’s winter wheat was in good to excellent condition, down 2-percent from a week ago.