Did the weekend’s weather spell the end for southwest Kansas’ winter wheat crop this year?
Freezing temperatures, in combination with heavy, wet snow definitely worked together to the detriment of local wheat fields. The exact magnitude of the storm’s damage may not be apparent for days, or even weeks, but this much is known – Kansas won’t be contributing record bushels of winter wheat this year.
Last year, Kansas produced over 36% of the United States’ total winter wheat production. Stevens County contributed nearly four and a half million of those bushels. This year, the story may be radically different, after a late winter storm wreaked havoc on rapidly-maturing winter wheat.
