Southern Plains Wheat Crop Faces Critical Drought Juncture

A lingering shortage of soil moisture fueled by continued drought conditions ha winter wheat in parts of the southern Plains in rough shape heading into a critical time period for the crop. In the Texas Panhandle, the crop is suffering from the drought conditions that have been common in the region for months, with some regional weather stations recording less than two inches of rain since October 1, 2020. Winter snowfall has helped, but warm temperatures and high winds have minimized its moisture benefits. Crop conditions improve moving north and east from locations like Amarillo, Texas, but the lingering drought is starting to force some wheat farmers to make some tough decisions, whether to continue to plan to harvest their crops or resort to grazing or haying it to glean value. See more on how the southern Plains wheat story is unfolding.