Map: Winter Wheat Area Affected by Drought Slowly Declining

Mar 16, 2023

The portion of US winter wheat area affected by drought is continuing to tick lower, although the big picture remains largely unchanged from the past few months and last fall.

As the map below shows, an estimated 53% of nationwide winter wheat areas were impacted by drought as of March 14. That is down just a couple of points from a week earlier and close to one and two months ago, when drought was impacting 57% and 59% of US winter wheat area.

In fact, the amount of national winter wheat area affected by drought now is almost the same as mid-September (54%) when farmers were first starting to plant the crop that will be harvested this summer. The percentage increased in October and peaked in November at 75% before gradually beginning to ease through December and the first part of the New Year.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?