The cool, wet spring may have scuttled a few recreation plans so far, but farmers in the region are generally benefiting from the extra moisture for their crops. “The water has been very welcome and is really making winter crops look pretty good,” said Doug Finkelnburg, University of Idaho Nez Perce County extension agent.
Winter wheat especially is thriving, Finkelnburg said, although the persistent rain has forced some delays in spring planting. “I’m estimating that we probably have 15% of the spring ground that would normally be seeded isn’t there yet and may not be. Some may not get planted,” he said.According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service crop survey as of May 1, production of winter wheat in Idaho was forecast at 66.4 million bushels, up 45% from a year ago.
Yield was expected to average 91 bushels per acre, an increase of 20 bushels per acre from last year. Growers planted about 790,000 acres in the fall of 2021, up 80,000 acres from the previous year. Harvested acres were forecast at 730,000 acres, an increase of 90,000 acres from a year ago.