LUBBOCK, TEXAS (RFD NEWS) — Rain is slowing early hard red winter wheat harvest in the southern Plains, while quality concerns remain tied to drought stress and recent weather. U.S. Wheat Associates says Texas is 5 percent harvested, with combines also running in Oklahoma and southern Kansas.
The Wheat Quality Council tour confirmed a below-average Kansas crop, with drought stress, rising abandonment, and wide yield swings. Early Texas and Oklahoma samples show yields from 15 to 50 bushels per acre and test weights from 55 to 61 pounds per bushel.
Soft red winter harvest has started in the South, with Alabama 6 percent complete and Arkansas at 1 percent. Conditions remain more favorable in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, though disease risk is being monitored following rainfall.
Spring wheat planting is 73 percent complete, ahead of average, while northern durum planting is advancing as well.
Weather will now shape kernel development, test weight, and final quality across several wheat classes.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Early wheat harvest is moving, but rain, drought stress, and disease pressure will determine yield and quality.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
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