The United States Department of Agriculture’s Great Lakes Region is reporting that winter wheat production in Ohio is expected to increase this year as a result of a higher-than-expected statewide yield and more acres harvested.
Ohio wheat growers expect to harvest 550,000 acres of winter wheat which is up 70,000 acres from a year ago. The wheat production in the Buckeye State is forecast for 40.7 million bushels.
The forecast yield is 74.0 bushels per acre, seven bushels higher than in 2015 and equal to the state record set in 2014.
National winter wheat production has been forecast to be 1.43 billion bushels, a 4-percent higher than realized in 2015. As of May 1, the nation’s yield forecast for winter wheat is 47.8 bushels per acre, also an increase of 5.3 bushels over last year. If the forecast is accurate, it will equal the record yield set back in 1999.