Crop scouts set off today for the annual inspection tour of the winter wheat crop in Kansas, the No 1 grower. The tour provides a timely look at a crop that will be ready for harvest in a few weeks. The Agriculture Department will make its first estimate of the U.S. winter wheat crop on May 9. Winter wheat accounts for the lion’s share of U.S. wheat output.
Scouts “can expect to find a late wheat crop struggling through drought after a brutal winter and a late April freeze,” says DTN in a preview story. It quotes a Wheat Quality Council leader as saying that overall the crop is not in as good shape as a year ago. The tour concludes on Thursday with release of a forecast of Kansas production.