Friday Crop Report on a Thursday second week April.

[SASKFARMER]

First Crop Report of 2026 ????????




Good morning — here’s my first crop report of the year.

I just traveled from Florida along I-10 to Houston, then up to Dallas and into Oklahoma — including Enid, home of grain elevators with 70 million bushels of storage in a town about the size of Rosetown. From there I continued through Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and finally Montana.

Observations from the road:


Moisture Conditions ???????

• Eastern and coastal areas in the USA are wet
• Moving north and west toward Montana, it becomes increasingly dry
• Texas and Oklahoma Wyoming and Montana are short on moisture

Wheat ????

• South of Dallas: Fully headed
• Oklahoma: Heading, but stools burned off
• Iowa: Less wheat than reported
• Illinois: Looks great
• South Dakota: Needs rain on the west side

Grazing & Crop Decisions ????

• Saw the largest grazing I’ve ever seen in Texas
• Wheat is being used heavily as feed, grazed right to the ground
• Likely crop insurance decisions driving this
• Farmers are clearly putting money into crops that pay

Corn & Fertility ????

• Corn up to knee-high by Dallas
• Fertilizing happening ahead of rain
• No fertilizing observed on wheat

Crop Mix

• Corn and soybeans dominate across nearly every state up to Montana

Winter Canola ????

• Found the infamous Oklahoma winter canola
• Full flower and fairly thick
• Some fields recovering from hail and wind damage
• Heat will hit hard next month — recovery will depend on rainfall

Weather Risk ??

• This time of year in the southern U.S. is like late June/July for us
• Storms include hail, wind, and heavy rain

One Final Note


Most of this wasn’t from the interstate — I took back highways, grid roads, and stopped to talk to farmers while my wife visited tourist spots. Farmers everywhere were friendly and open to sharing.


Returned home to heavy snow still on the ground and another snowstorm — quite the contrast.

It’s been a great winter in the U.S. ????????

Keep an open mind — farmers there are just like us, and they love their country.


That’s it for the first crop report of 2026.

oh my orange trees and grass and hibiscus all froze in the end of January so fire season in Florida is on high Elbert due to so much dead underbrush. Even if if pours at three daily.

[SASKFARMER]

Oh also rice work is started in Mississippi.

corn seeding could be delayed in eastern sections due to rain events.

[SASKFARMER]

Lots of anhydrous going down and corn fields from 2025 getting worked along the way.

Iowa has grassland areas where they do massive controlled burns. So picture grasslands of SW Sask and Alberta burning sections at a time, then the first few rains, and it’s lush, regenerative grass.

[ajl]

Was in Texas last week. Was very dry by San Antonio with brown pastures. Got rain there on the weekend. Only saw one wheat field between Houston and San Antonio and it had a poor crop starting to turn. The rain will help fill but will not add too many bushel to a thin crop. Lots of spring cereals seeded east of San Antonio that were struggling to emerge due to dry but with the weekend rain will come now. I assume those were oats. Corn looked good but was getting dry. The weekend rains should help there. With all the bullish news, why do wheat prices suck so badly?

[fcr]

China and India consume as much wheat as almost the rest of the world combined, yet their kg. per population is low compared to most countries.China population is down 3mil this year while India has added 13mil.Can we compete with Russia and Australia, also the states if they make a deal with China?.After spending two months in Asia this winter we never had a meal with bread offered, rice is served with every meal.However we were in the south of China , we were told the northern regions eat as much wheat as rice.Our efforts need to be to increase consumption of grains in this part of the world.

[fjlip]

Thanks for the crop report, and pictures, SF. Shame to see the UGLY windmills...Yes Winter Canola....

[SASKFARMER]

Yea the winter canola I’m interested in some I believe was tried in Manitoba or southern Alberta.

[Taiga]

It’s tax season.

[goalieguy847]

Tried winter canola
it doesnt have a hope here. The frost thaw cycle we get in march/ april destroys it. Did about an acre thru a small plot seeder. Had a good stand in winter. Worked it down in spring. I grow winter wheat/ rye and the winter canola survivability is about. 1....50th as good as those crops. ( and we had 1 yr where 300 ac of winter wheat got sprayed out and re seeded) get the winter canola idea out of your head! It can be grown in southerrrn ontario.....or maybe the delta land around.. delta bc.

[jamesb]

Tried winter canola
it doesnt have a hope here. The frost thaw cycle we get in march/ april destroys it. Did about an acre thru a small plot seeder. Had a good stand in winter. Worked it down in spring. I grow winter wheat/ rye and the winter canola survivability is about. 1....50th as good as those crops. ( and we had 1 yr where 300 ac of winter wheat got sprayed out and re seeded) get the winter canola idea out of your head! It can be grown in southerrrn ontario.....or maybe the delta land around.. delta bc.

For western Canada I think when they get to the point of developing a seed coating that allows germination when soil temps hit the right point will make fall seeded canola possible.