Wheat harvest underway

Sun rising on the Texas South Plains while the combine rests before another day of harvest.

Drought and high temperatures reduce yield on some Southwest wheat crops.

As of June 3, 2018, only 35 percent of the winter wheat in Texas has been harvested, while only 7 percent is complete in Oklahoma.

As dry as the winter and spring were on the South Plains, Lamb County, Texas, grower Tullie Struve is surprised at his wheat yields, though not great, he says they are not as bad as he had anticipated.

In Texas and Oklahoma, about 30 percent of the crop condition is rated fair-to-very poor, while more than 10 percent, but less than 15 percent, has been rated good, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Wheat harvest under a beautiful Texas sky.

In Texas, wheat production is speculated to be a little over 43 million bushels, down 37 percent from 2017. Yield per acre is expected to average 27 bushels with harvested acreage for grain at 1.6 million acres, down 32 percent from the previous year.

Harvesting wheat alongside the corn crop.

According to the USDA NASS May crop report, production for Oklahoma is forecast at 52 million bushels, down 47 percent from 2017. Yield per acre is expected to average 26 bushels with 2 million acres expected to be harvested for grain.

Wheat quality is better than it has been in the last couple of years, "It just seems that’s the way Mother Nature works: less quantity, more quality," says Brent Wilhelm, grain marketer, Ag Producer Co-op, Olton, Texas. 

In the U.S., six classes of wheat are produced in 42 states.