Kansas wheat production falls 42% to 200.6 million bushels in 2026
Kansas farmers harvested 200.6 million bushels of winter wheat in 2026, down 42% from 2025, according to the Kansas Wheat History report released Oct. 8 by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Yield averaged 34 bushels per harvested acre, down 17 bushels from last year.
Farmers planted 6.70 million acres of winter wheat for the 2026 crop year, down 8% from the previous year. Acres harvested totaled 5.90 million, down 13%. Abandonment totaled 11.9% of planted acres.
The 2026 total is the smallest Kansas wheat crop since 1966, when production was 200.07 million bushels, according to the report’s historical tables. The 2025 crop totaled 346.8 million bushels with a yield of 51 bushels per acre.
Seeding for the 2026 crop began in early September with adequate soil moisture but remained behind the five-year average all month. Planting was 95% complete on Nov. 16, slightly behind average. On Dec. 7, wheat condition rated 1% very poor, 4% poor, 25% fair, 59% good and 11% excellent.
February through April brought temperatures well above normal across the state. Wheat rated good to excellent fell from 58% on March 1 to 22% on May 3. May precipitation ranged from 1.5 inches in Clark County to 7.8 inches in Lincoln County, according to the Kansas Mesonet. By May 31, 79% of the crop was coloring and 30% was mature, with 15% rated good to excellent.
June precipitation was above average in 100 of the state’s 105 counties, with totals ranging from 2.3 inches in Greeley County to 13.3 inches in Neosho County. The rain slowed harvest, but it remained ahead of last year and average. By June 28, 72% of the crop had been harvested, compared with 48% last year and 52% for the average. Harvest was 97% complete by July 12, ahead of 91% last year and 87% for the average.
Protein content averaged 12.1%, with a test weight of 60.3 pounds per bushel and moisture content of 11.3%. The wheat graded 63% No. 1, 36% No. 2 and 1% No. 3 or below.
KS Providence was the top-planted variety, at 5.8% of the state’s 2026 planted wheat acres. SY Wolverine ranked second at 4.5%, followed by AP Prolific at 3.5%, Bob Dole at 3.3% and Canvas at 2.8%. Blended varieties accounted for 8.9% of planted acreage, up from 8.5% last year. Hard white varieties accounted for 1.6%, down from 3.6% last year.
Price and farm value estimates for the 2026 crop will be available in February 2027, according to the report. The annual publication, funded by the Kansas Wheat Commission, also includes sketches of each Kansas wheat crop since 1918 and statistics dating back to 1866.
