The arctic blast this weekend that dropped temperatures in much of the High Plains below the zero-degree mark may have damaged some of the winter wheat crop.
David Streit, a meteorologist with the Commodity Wheat Group told Reuters Friday, that an estimated 20 percent of the wheat crop is at risk for damage, particularly in southern Nebraska and northern and western Kansas.
Both hard and soft red winter wheat is planted in the autumn and then goes dormant during the winter. Growth resumes in the spring, so any damage done by sub-zero temperatures, is difficult to assess until then.
In wetter soils, the plants are protected by soil, but in dryer regions like the High Plains, the cold can more easily penetrate the soil.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report recently indicated that areas of western Kansas are in moderate to severe drought, meaning winter wheat crops in many areas aren’t very well established and therefore more vulnerable to colder temperatures.