Improvement Noted For Winter Wheat

Winter rain has perked up the winter wheat crop, which should be good news. But there's a problem: some ranchers have already turned their cattle onto what looked until recently like a marginal growth of winter wheat. Grazing obviously puts an end to wheat growth but agri-business experts say growers who stick by their crops may see dividends as moisture continues to arrive in the form of both rain and snow. That would be a relief as extension agents say the 2011 extreme drought stress resulted in the loss of about 240 million bushels of winter wheat in the Southern Great Plains.