Illinois winter wheat kicks off April 58% good to excellent

In its first weekly crop progress and condition report for the year, the USDA gives Illinois winter wheat a 58% good to excellent rating.

The rating is one percentage point below the previous week and 16 points behind this time last year.

For the week ending April 3rd, the agency reports a 41-degree average temperature for the state, more than 6 degrees below average, with rainfall slightly above normal- putting only 5% of topsoil moisture in short supply.

…