Kansas could harvest its smallest winter wheat crop in nearly seven decades as drought and early-season freezes take a significant toll on production.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture currently projects Kansas wheat production at approximately 196 million bushels, a sharp decline from nearly 347 million bushels harvested last year.
The reduced forecast reflects difficult growing conditions that have affected wheat producers across the state. Persistent drought has limited crop development in some areas, while early-season freezes caused additional damage to fields already dealing with moisture stress.
If the forecast holds, Kansas would record one of its smallest wheat crops in generations. Kansas is traditionally the nation's leading producer of hard red winter wheat, making the state's production an important component of the overall U.S. wheat supply.
The challenges extend beyond Kansas.
USDA is forecasting the national hard red winter wheat crop, traditionally the largest class of wheat produced in the United States, to be the smallest since the 1957-58 marketing year.
Hard red winter wheat is widely used for bread flour and other baked goods and is grown primarily throughout the central and southern Plains.
The steep year-over-year decline in Kansas production highlights the impact weather can have on wheat supplies. The current projection of 196 million bushels would represent a decline of more than 150 million bushels, or roughly 43 percent, compared with last year's crop.