US Farmers Concerned about Winter Wheat Crops

US Farmers Concerned about Winter Wheat Crops

The planting for hard red winter wheat in the United States is already halfway¹ completed. But experts say next year's crop is already being limited by too little water in the middle of the country.

Planting plans may be cut back in the U.S. even with historically high prices for wheat crops at this time of year. The high prices are a result of rising worldwide demand and limited wheat supplies. And the U.S. is among the top five wheat exporters worldwide.

In the states of Kansas and Oklahoma, the drought² threatens crops already in the ground from developing properly. It also discourages farmers from trying to plant more.

Kent Winter is a farmer in Andale, Kansas. Winter described the situation as "grim," meaning unpleasant or bad to think about. He said he normally³ plants seeds by mid-October but has yet to plant any wheat this year.

About two-thirds of wheat in the U.S. is grown as a winter crop rather than as a spring crop. Without water, wheat plants may fail to come out from the ground. Even a delayed appearance would threaten yield⁴ possibilities by narrowing the window for plants to develop a strong root system and push out more stems⁵, known as tillers, before winter.

Mark Hodges is an agriculture expert with Plains Grains Inc, an Oklahoma-based group that tests wheat for quality. Hodges said, "If you don't have the tillers in the fall, it's really hard to make up that number in the spring."

While wheat farmers would like to get high market prices, the dry weather may discourage them from purchasing and using supplies of high-priced seeds and fertilizer⁶.

Justin Gilpin of the Kansas Wheat Commission⁷ expects the number of Kansas wheat acres planted for harvest in 2023 to remain the same as the 7.3 million acres seeded for 2022.

Winter agreed. "With the price of wheat, a lot of operators⁸ were planning to at least match or even up their acres for this coming year. But this drought is having a huge" effect "on plans," he said.

Poor plant growth could have a longer-term cost as well. Wheat helps keep soil in place, protecting it from wind damage. "No farmer wants to see his ground blowing. So you go ahead and plant wheat, and hope ... you get it up before winter comes," said Martin Kerschen, who farms in Garden Plain, Kansas.

Wheat is a famously strong crop that can come back from difficult weather conditions. But weather predictions suggest the drought will likely continue in Kansas and surrounding wheat-producing states through December.

In Kansas, 27 percent of the state is in "exceptional⁹ drought," the most extreme kind of drought. Almost the entire state is unusually dry, said the latest weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report prepared by a group of climate experts.

An important reason for the drought is the La Nina weather pattern, which often favors warm and dry conditions in the middle of the country. The current La Nina is in its third year.

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

discourage – v. to make (someone) less determined¹⁰, hopeful, or confident; to make (something) less likely to happen

yield -- n. the amount of something that is produced by a plant, farm, etc.

acre – n. a measure of land area in the U.S. and Britain that equals 4,840 square yards (about 4,047 square meters)

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

3 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

4 yield   

v.生产，出产；让步，屈服；n.产量，收获量

参考例句：

• A cow will yield several gallons of milk each day.一头母牛每天产几加仑的牛奶。
• We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。

5 stems   

n.（花草的）茎( stem的名词复数 )；词干；（高脚酒杯的）脚；烟斗柄v.遏制[阻止]（液体的流动等）( stem的第三人称单数 )；封堵；遏止

参考例句：

• The present wave of strikes stems from discontent among the lower-paid. 当前的罢工浪潮起因于低工资雇员们的不满情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her interest in flowers stems from her childhood in the country. 她对花卉的兴趣产生于她在乡下度过的童年时代。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

7 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

8 operators   

n.（某企业的）经营者( operator的名词复数 )；（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员；投机取巧者

参考例句：

• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market. 大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。 来自辞典例句
• Green house operators have considerable opportunity for precise manipulation of nutrients. 温室管理员有很多机会来准确控制养分。 来自辞典例句

9 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。