Wheat Tour Predicts 313 Million Bushel Crop

Participants in the Kansas wheat quality tour have forecast the state will harvest 313 million bushels despite drought and freezes.

The announcement Thursday at the Kansas City Board of Trade pegged average yields at slightly above 41 bushels per acre. The estimates are based on about 570 stops at wheat fields across the state during a three-day tour.

This year’s estimate is down from the 382.2 million bushels cut last year. But it is still better than the 276.5 million bushels harvested during drought-plagued 2011.

Aaron Harries, marketing director for Kansas Wheat, says the state has two very different crops. Extreme western crops are a disaster from drought, while fields are faring better in more eastern sections.