Plains Wheat Farmers Assessing Freeze Damage This Week

It’s been almost two weeks since temperatures fell through the floor, some at record-low levels in parts of the central and southern Plains. The work continues to get a feel for any potential yield losses from winterkill; despite the extreme temperatures, much of the region did have snow cover, which likely minimized damage. But the combination of that challenge and ongoing drought worries have some worrying about the strength of the crop as it emerges from dormancy. High wheat market prices have many growers expecting to harvest more of the crop than normal versus grazing in places like Oklahoma. This week will be a critical time for assessing freeze damage and winterkill, and growers will soon face some key decisions whether to add more fertilizer — at a rapidly increasing cost — to the crop to give it a boost as it awakens from dormancy. See more on the situation in wheat country.