The impact of drought was readily spotted during the first day of the annual tour of the spring wheat crop, with wheat standing shorter than normal — barely knee-high in some fields, says Reuters. All the same, the yield per acre is higher than expected for a crop that is below average.
Early this month, the USDA forecast an 18-percent drop in the average yield for spring wheat in North Dakota. The USDA estimated a statewide yield of 38 bushels an acre, down by eight bushels from last year. Crop scouts reported yield reductions ranging from 4-8 bushels an acre during spot checks of fields in southeastern North Dakota on the first day of the tour.
North Dakota is the No. 1 spring wheat state and sometimes tops winter wheat-growing Kansas for the title of No. 1 wheat state. It is forecast by USDA to produce 40 percent of the spring wheat crop this year. Minnesota and Montana are the other major spring wheat states, but their crops are a fraction of North Dakota’s. The tour concludes on Thursday with an estimate of the overall yield.