USDA expects Kansas’ 2015 wheat harvest to be better – but not by much

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting that Kansas farmers will harvest 272 million bushels of wheat this year, based on its May 1 survey.

That would put wheat production up 10 percent from last year’s harvest of 246.4 million bushels, the worst in 25 years.

The statewide yield estimate is 32 bushels per acre, up from last year’s 28 bushels per acre.

One of the biggest reasons for the improvement is that rain was a little more plentiful in central and south-central Kansas, the state’s two biggest wheat-producing areas. That is pushing up this year’s expected yields to 32 bushels per acre from 23.1 last year in the south-central region, and to 35.5 bushels per acre, up from 27.5, in the central region.

However, the size of the crop was hurt by farmers planting and harvesting fewer acres. The number of acres expected to be harvested is 8.5 million, down 300,000 acres from 2014.

Harvest is expected to start in early to mid June in counties along the Oklahoma border, a little later than some years because of the cool, damp spring. If the weather dries out and warms up, the start will come sooner.

Members of last week’s Kansas Wheat Tour placed their estimate for the state crop higher, at 288.5 million bushels, which is still below average for the state. They said fields in much of far western Kansas continue to be blighted by a three-year-long drought. They also noted some disease pressure on the wheat plants in western and central areas.

The USDA will do another survey on June 1 to get a more accurate assessment of the harvest.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "USDA expects Kansas’ 2015 wheat harvest to be better – but not by much."