05/02/05 Dryness in China wheat country

05/02/05 Dryness in China wheat country

Farm and Ranch May 2, 2005 International crop watchers are taking a close look at China's winter wheat areas in the north China plain. Brusberg: "Anytime that they are too dry or too wet in April and the early part of May it is kind of a severe impact." And this time, says USDA meteorologist Mark Brusberg, it is too warm and too dry. He says it is not what you would call a drought situation, at least not yet. Brusberg: "But the crop is entering heading and the reproductive stage of development. They need rain and more seasonable temperatures. So that is something we are keeping an eye on because that is a very big part of the world and it is a very important crop." China is a huge wheat producer and can of course be a major importer. It's the one potential purchaser that can excite the wheat market. For the current wheat marketing year that ends May 31st they are expected to have imported 7 ½ million metric tons. They have purchased about two million tons of that from the U.S. However, a USDA attache report is now estimating that in the new 2005-2006 marketing year China may only import about half that, four million metric tons. Another area crop watchers are monitoring is Australia, where it's winter wheat planting time and its been dry. USDA will issue its first estimate of wheat production for both the U.S. and the world, including China and Australia, on May 12th. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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