Although total Idaho wheat production in 2017 is down from last year and from the five-year average, growers and industry leaders are reporting excellent overall quality.
According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Idaho farmers produced an estimated 92 million bushels of winter and spring wheat combined in 2017. That’s down from 101 million bushels in 2016, and below the state’s five-year average of 97 million bushels.
Idaho’s average wheat yield set a record of 91.3 bushels per acre in 2016, far exceeding the previous record of 85.5 bushels per acre set in 2004. This year’s average yield numbers to be released later this week are expected to be down from last year.
Tough weather conditions combined to significantly reduce wheat production in some parts of North Idaho, as an extremely wet spring cut the number of spring wheat acres planted in the region, followed by an 81-day stretch with no rainfall and unusually hot temperatures to hamper the winter wheat crop.
But the Idaho Wheat Commission calls this year’s crop quality superb, with good protein levels and higher test weights. (Capital Press)
