US winter wheat sowings have slowed to one of the weakest paces on record, thanks to rains which have eased dryness worries in the key central Plains growing area although jitters remain for the Midwest. US farmers had as of Sunday seeded 36% of their winter wheat, being planted ahead of the 2018 harvest. While up 12 points week on week, the figure was well below the average of 43% for the time of year, and indeed was behind the 37-38% result that investors had expected. The slow progress reflected in particular a weak pace in central Plains hard red winter wheat-growing areas, such as Oklahoma, where seeding were 13 points behind the typical pace. In neighbouring Kansas, seedings, at 21% complete, were lagging the average by 18 points. The increasing slowdown behind average levels was attributed to rains last week which, while slowing fieldwork, provided much-needed moisture for germination. In Kansas, the proportion of top soil rated “short” or “very short” of moisture by the USDA dropped by 21 points week on week to 37%.