(NAFB.com) – On Wednesday, scouts on the Wheat Quality Council’s 2022 winter wheat tour traveled from Colby to Wichita, Kansas, stopping in wheat fields along six different routes.

The scouts surveyed 254 wheat fields throughout western, central, and southern Kansas and northern counties in Oklahoma. The wheat in Southwest Kansas looks rough because of drought, and South Central Kansas is struggling because of dryness. Wheat following corn generally had poor yields, while wheat on fallow had some of the higher yields. The calculated yield was 37 bushels per acre in Kansas.

Chris Kirby from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission reported that the state’s production is estimated at 60 million bushels this year, down from 115 million last year. Wheat harvest on the southern border of Oklahoma began this week, and with temperatures expected well above 100 degrees, the harvest will move much faster.

USDA estimates that Oklahoma will likely yield 25 bushels an acre, down from 39 last year.