Wheat Harvest Estimates Up

A new government report is forecasting a much bigger U.S. winter wheat crop than had been expected just a month ago.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Tuesday that it now expects the nation’s wheat production to come in at 1.63 billion bushels.

That number is up 8 percent from their estimate just last month, and up 19 percent from last year’s crop. It comes amid record yields averaging 53.9 bushels an acre, making up for fewer harvested wheat acres.

The updated report comes as the nation’s biggest producer, Kansas, wraps up its own wheat harvest. Kansas farmers have cut more than 91 percent of their crop.

In Kansas, the wheat crop is forecast at 453.6 million bushels with average yields of 56 bushels per acre from 8.1 million acres.