Market News & Headlines >> Lowest Kansas Wheat Crop Since 1989 Expected

This year’s HRW wheat crop in the top growing state of Kansas will be the smallest since 1989 according to scouts who participated in the Wheat Quality Council’s annual crop tour. 

Scouts gathered in Manhattan, Kansas on Thursday afternoon came up with a 2018 Kansas wheat production estimate of 243.3 million bushels, down sharply from USDA’s final 2017 production estimate of 333.6 million bushels and the smallest since 213.6 million in 1989. 

Kansas HRW wheat yield potential is down substantially from last year with the crop showing the effects of moisture stress and freeze damage, according to tour participants.Scouts on that tour calculated a final three-day tour yield of 37.0 bushels per acre, down nearly 24% from last year’s tour yield of 48.6 bushels and down 10.8% from the five-year average tour yield of 41.5 bushels. The tour yield estimate is 11.0 bushels per acre below USDA’s final 2017 Kansas yield. 

The tour yield estimate was based on 644 stops made by 98 tour participants. The yield estimate for day one of the tour came in at 38.2 bushels per acre based on 317 stops, while the day two average yield estimate was 35.2 bushels based on 284 stops and the day-three average was 39.8 bushels, based on only 43 stops. 

Scouts found wheat development to be behind normal across most of the state following the second coldest April on record (average temperature). USDA on Monday reported that only 2% of the Kansas crop was heading as of Sunday, compared with 41% last year and 24% for the five-year average.