Illinois, Indiana set wheat yield records: USDA

WASHINGTON — Illinois and Indiana were among 14 states with record winter wheat yields in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s small grains summary released Sept. 29.

The Prairie State averaged 87 bushels per acre, compared to highs of 79 each of the last two years. The harvested area of 780,000 acres is estimated to produce 67.86 million bushels. Illinois produced 44.24 million bushels across 560,000 harvested acres in 2022.

Indiana’s winter wheat averaged a top mark of 92 bushel per acre, breaking the 2021 record by 7 bushels and 11 higher than 2022. The 335,000 harvested acres produced 30.82 million bushels, compared to 19.44 million bushels from 240,000 harvest acres in 2022.

Nationwide

U.S. winter wheat production for 2023 totaled 1.25 billion bushels, up 13% from the 2022 total of 1.10 billion bushels.

The nation’s average winter wheat yield was estimated at 50.6 bushels per acre, 3.6 bushels above 2022. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 24.7 million acres, up 55 from 2022.

Record low planted and harvested acres were estimated in Utah in 2023. Record winter wheat high yields were also estimated in Delaware (92 bushels per acre), Kentucky (88), Maryland (85), Missouri (70), Montana (51), New Jersey (82), New York (81), North Carolina (70), Ohio (90), Tennessee (80), Texas (37), and Virginia (78) for 2023.

All Wheat

All U.S. wheat production totaled 1.81 billion bushels in 2023, up 10% from the 2022 total of 1.65 billion bushels. Area harvested for grain totaled 37.3 million acres, 5% above the previous year. The nation’s all wheat yield average was estimated at 48.6 bushels per acre, up 2.1 bushels from the previous year.