Signs That US Wheat Yields May Disappoint

The Kansas Wheat Quality Council concluded day one of their annual wheat tour yesterday pegging yields in the state at 40.7 bu/acre. That's surprisingly lower than last year, when their first day estimate was 41.3 bu/acre.

The results are particularly surprising given that the USDA rated Kansas wheat 70% good/excellent on Monday night, up from 53% a year ago when final yields came in at 42 bu/acre.

Early indications are that late-planted wheat in the state looks set to disappoint. Kansas is of course the top US wheat producing state, and accounts for around a quarter of all winter wheat production in the US.

Tour members are back out scouting the crop today and tomorrow and will issue a final yield estimate on Thursday night.