Hot, Dry Weather Jump Starts Wheat Harvest

The return of mostly dry, hot weather this weekend has jump started the stalled winter wheat harvest.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 8 percent had been harvested as of Sunday. Normally by this late in the season, about 33 percent of the wheat is in the bin. Last year at this time 21 percent had already been cut.

About 51 percent of the wheat in Kansas is now mature.

Wheat harvest is now in full swing across most of Kansas, with the possible exception of northwest Kansas and the northern tier counties.

Aaron Harries, marketing director for the industry group Kansas Wheat, says yields are better that expected relative to the very poor yields that had been expected early this spring. Better-than-expected doesn’t mean above average.