Indiana Grain Company, LLC

Posted: 07/11/10

By: tomgrisafi

Kansas farmers are harvesting a bigger wheat crop than was estimated in June.

July 1 estimates for the 2010 harvest totals according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture are up 5 percent more than the June estimates. It’s estimated that Kansas farmers will bring in 369 million bushels of winter wheat by the time the nearly-completed harvest is tallied.

Even though Kansas farmers planted 7 percent fewer acres than for the 2009 crop, the currently projected harvest is almost the same as a year ago because yields were higher.

Kansas is the nation’s largest producer of hard red winter wheat, accounting for out just less than 25 percent of the nation’s total output.

Wheat prices retreated late last week after the government predicted production will be better than it had expected just a month ago.

On Friday, wheat for September delivery fell 10.5 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $5.38 a bushel. It had gained fairly steadily from $4.3325 a bushel on June 10.