Wheat crop appears slightly better than last year

The winter wheat crop is in slightly better condition this year than at the same time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As of last week, the crop for the state is rated as: 4 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 44 percent fair, 35 percent good and 4 percent excellent.

The soil and subsoil moisture throughout most of the state is also slightly better than last year. However, most of central and western Kansas remains in a moderate drought, and the extreme western and southern counties are in a severe drought.

Last spring saw very little rain across the central and western parts of the state. The state's wheat harvest last year was the worst in decades, down 26 percent from 2013.

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Wheat crop appears slightly better than last year."