‘I’ state winter wheat yields up, down

WASHINGTON — Projected winter wheat production was lowered in Illinois and Indiana’s was increased compared to last month in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report released June 12.

USDA estimated Illinois winter wheat yields to average 82 bushels per acre, down a bushel from last month and 5 lower than 2023.

The projected 680,000 harvested acres of winter wheat is projected to produce 55.76 million bushels, compared to 67.86 million a year ago from 780,000 harvested acres.

USDA hiked the Indiana average yield by 2 from last month to 86 bushels per acre, 6 below the 2023 record.

Indiana’s 240,000 harvested winter wheat acres is estimated to produce 20.64 million bushels, compared to 30.82 million from 335,000 acres last year.

Nationwide

U.S. winter wheat production is forecast at 1.29 billion bushels, up 1% from the May 1 forecast and 4% above 2023.

As of June 1, the U.S. winter wheat yield is forecast at 51.4 bushels per acre, up 0.7 bushel from last month and 0.8 bushel higher than last year’s average yield of 50.6 bushels per acre.

Montana, at 51 bushels per acre; Pennsylvania, at 77; and Wisconsin, at 79, are expecting record high yields.

Kansas, the nation’s top winter wheat-producing state, has a forecasted average yield of 40 bushels per acre, 2 below last month.

Harvested acres are expected to be 7.05 million — up from 5.75 million in 2023 — for projected production of 282 million bushels, 80.75 million above last year.

As of June 2, 49% of the winter wheat acreage in the 18 major producing states was rated in good to excellent condition, 13 percentage points higher than at the same time last year.

Nationally, 83% of the winter wheat crop was headed by June 2, five percentage points ahead of the five-year average pace.