E148: 2023 Kansas Wheat Tour Reveals Drought Impacts

On May 17th, the annual Winter Wheat Tour wrapped up its survey of the Southern Plains wheat crop with its report on predicted yield averages, which indicated that the persistent impact of droughts have indeed driven wheat production to near-record lows.Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger made his way to Colby, Wichita, and finally Manhattan, Kansas this week with more than a hundred fellow surveyors to see fields across the state first hand, and bring us the latest reactions from farmers, bakers, millers, and industry experts from across the country.Today, we’ll talk about the weather impacts that affected various regions of Kansas, and what they might mean for abandonment rates, yields, and plantings of secondary crops as we move towards harvest. Plus we’ll dig into other pressures, from pests to irrigation to protein levels.