USDA Reports Better Than Expected Wheat Harvest in OK, Adjusts Total '18 Production Up by 27%

According to the USDA Small Grain Summary report, released Friday morning, all wheat production totaled 1.88 billion bushels in 2018, up 8 percent from the revised 2017 total of 1.74 billion bushels. Area harvested for grain totaled 39.6 million acres, up 5 percent from the previous year. The United States yield was estimated at 47.6 bushels per acre, up 1.3 bushels from the previous year. The levels of production and changes from 2017 by type were: winter wheat, 1.18 billion bushels, down 7 percent; other spring wheat, 623 million bushels, up 50 percent; and Durum wheat, 77.3 million bushels, up 41 percent.

For winter wheat production, the US harvested a total of 24.742 million acres in 2018, down slightly from August’s 24.816 million and down from 25.291 million acres harvest the year before. The US winter wheat harvest yielded on average 47.9 bu./acre compared to 48.0 in August and 50.2 bu./acre in 2017, which came together for a total production of just under the prior year at 1.18 billion bushels.

In Oklahoma, a very poor crop got a little better with these final numbers. The report adjusted acres harvest up in September from August’s 2.2 million to 2.5 million. That number is down from 2.9 million acres in 2017. Oklahoma’s winter wheat crop had an average yield of 28 bu./acre, up from 25 in August’s report and down six bushels from the previous year. Total production for the Oklahoma wheat crop came in at 70 million bu., according to USDA. That number falls short of last year’s production of 98.6 million bu. by 29 percent- but, also came in higher than expected, adjusted up 27 percent from 55 million in the previous report.

Kansas harvest acres for 2018 were recorded at 7.3 million acres, unchanged from August and above 6.95 million one year ago. Average yield in Kansas in the September report was noted at 38 bu./acre, unchanged from August and down 10 bu. from 2017. Total production for the state came in at 277.4 million bu., 20 percent under the previous year’s production of 333.6 million bu.

Finally in Texas, harvest acres in the September 2018 report from USDA were noted at 1.75 million acres, slightly lower than what was indicated in the August report (1.8 million acres) and well below 2017 harvest acres of 2.35 million acres. Average yield this year for Texas was recorded 32 bu./acre, up 1 bu. from the previous month estimate and up 3 bu. from the previous year. Total production was calculated at 56 million bu. for the state in this report, an adjustment of 200 bu. and less than a 1 percent increase from the prior month’s report.