By Trish Svoboda

The 2024 Wheat Quality Council’s Hard Winter Wheat Tour in Kansas recently concluded. The three-day tour had 70 participants from 19 U.S. states. The average yield calculated was 46.5 bushels per acre from an estimated 7.5 million acres of wheat. The tour projected a total wheat production of 290.4 million bushels in Kansas. However, the National Agricultural Statistics Service predicted a slightly lower yield of 267.9 million bushels.

The fields are still two to four weeks away from harvest, and many factors can affect the final yields. Dr. Romulo Lollato, a Wheat and Forages Extension Specialist at K-State, emphasized that the yield number represents the crop’s potential if conditions remain favorable until harvest. He said that the yield could reach the projected figure if Kansas experiences cool and wet weather during grain fill.