High Plains states are gearing up for the start of the winter wheat harvest. In the northern plains, the crop has nearly completed the heading stage and is now beginning to turn color. Overall, the crop is only rated good to fair. The region's row crops are doing well. In addition, grasshoppers are becoming a major concern for growers in North and South Dakota.
Soybean is rated mostly good, with the Iowa and Kansas crops just beginning to bloom.
Livestock across the High Plains are reportedly in good condition. However, alfalfa, pasture, and range conditions are reportedly only rated good to fair. This is one area to keep an eye on as the summer progresses. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Division, rapidly melting mountain snow poured extraordinary amounts of water into the Missouri River reservoirs during June. The unseasonably warm June temperatures caused the mountain snow to melt more quickly than normal.