AP) – An annual wheat industry tour is finding recent rains have helped revive parched winter wheat crops in western Kansas.

About 45 farmers and industry experts have fanned out this week across Kansas to inspect fields during the annual Wheat Quality Council’s wheat tour.

Their forecast for the 2009 crop will be announced on the floor of the Kansas City Board of Trade on Thursday, at the end of the tour.

Extension wheat specialist Jim Shroyer says so far participants are finding the wheat crop looks pretty good.

But Shroyer says if the group had seen the wheat in western Kansas three weeks ago, they would have been disappointed. He said rain in April helped improve the crop.