The annual inspection tour of the spring wheat crop in North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota and northern South Dakota concluded on Thursday with forecasts of a record yield in the region. Sponsored by the Wheat Quality Council, the four-day tour forecast a record yield of 49.9 bushels an acre, topping last year’s 48.6 bushels, says Agweek. Farmers enjoyed a beneficial growing season with few scorching-hot days that would damage the crop. “Heavy winds in recent weeks have led to widespread reports of lodged wheat across the upper Midwest,” Agweek reports. “The region’s wheat harvest will begin in early August and, if the weather cooperates, wrap up late in the month or in early September.”
North Dakota and Kansas routinely vie for the title of the top wheat grower. Wheat is the most widely planted crop in North Dakota, but soybeans and corn are gaining in popularity thanks to shorter-season varieties adapted to the northern climate. “Still, most farmers in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota continue to grow wheat — and a record wheat yield would put more money into farmers’ pockets and their local economies,” says the magazine, which is based in Fargo, North Dakota.