USDA Forecasts Winter Wheat Production Down in 2022

U.S. farmers are expected to produce 1.17 billion bushels of winter wheat this year, according to the Crop Production report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In NASS’s first winter wheat production forecast for 2022, production is expected to decrease 8% from 2021. As of May 1, the U.S. yield is expected to average 47.9 bushels per acre, down 2.3 bushels from last year’s average of 50.2 bushels per acre.

Hard Red Winter production is forecast at 590 million bushels, down 21% from a year ago. Soft Red Winter, at 354 million bushels, is expected to decrease 2% from 2021. White Winter, at 230 million bushels, is up 38% from last year. Of the White Winter production, 15.7 million bushels are Hard White and 214 million bushels are Soft White.

NASS surveyed approximately 9,300 producers across the country in preparation for this Crop Production report. This monthly report contains data for the United States, including area planted and harvested, yield, and production. The report also contains a weather summary, a monthly agricultural summary, and an analysis of precipitation and the degree of departure from the normal precipitation map for the month.