Wheat Crop Estimates Down

The latest government snapshot shows the Agriculture Department has revised downward its forecast for the nation’s drought-stricken winter wheat crop.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated on Wednesday that farmers will bring in 1.38 billion bushels of winter wheat. That forecast is down 2 percent from a month ago and 10 percent from last year.

An even bigger drop was estimated for the nation’s hard red winter wheat crop, the type grown primarily to make bread. The government pegged that estimate at 720 million bushels, down 3 percent from a month ago.

Kansas has been hit hard by drought and recent rains have come too late to help the wheat. The government now estimates the Kansas crop at 243.6 million bushels, down from 260.4 million bushels forecast a month ago.