Wheat Outlook Improves With Spring Rains

A new government forecast for the size of the 2013 Kansas winter wheat crop reflects improvements amid the state’s wet spring weather.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service on Wednesday revised its Kansas production estimate to 307.8 million bushels. That’s up 3 percent from last month’s forecast but would still be down 21 percent from last year’s crop.

The agency also revised its average yield estimate to 38 bushels an acre. That is up 1 bushel from what had been expected just a month ago, but 4 bushels per acre fewer than what Kansas growers were cutting last year.

The 8.1 million wheat acres anticipated to be harvested in Kansas this year remain unchanged from last month’s estimate. It is down 11 percent from a year ago.