Favorable weather contributed to increased acreage in the Dakotas. Soft Red Winter area is up slightly from last year, at about 9.2 million acres. This is due primarily to an increase of 180,000 acres in Arkansas where conditions are better than a year ago. Other notable increases are expected in Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Sharp acreage declines were reported in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Dry weather continues to be a concern for farmers in the southeast.
White Winter wheat seeded area totals about 3.4 million acres, down fractionally from 1999. Many farmers in Idaho worried about a lack of moisture for germination, but ample rains during November helped alleviate their concerns. Seeding was delayed in Oregon due to drought conditions in most of the State's wheat growing areas. Washington got off to a slow winter wheat season because of limited moisture at planting time. Seedings in Arizona and California for 2000 harvest are placed at 170,000 acres.