State winter wheat yields to drop 28%

OLYMPIA — The USDA Agricultural Statistics Service forecasts a 28% drop in winter wheat production in Washington for 2021.

Statewide winter wheat is expected to come in at 96.3 million bushels, from a harvested area of 1.69 million acres, down 60,000 bushels from 2020.

For yield, the USDA Service expects 57 bushels per acre in Washington, a decrease of 14 bushels from last year, according to the June 10 report.

The downward trend marks a continuation since the May 1 report, which predicted a drop of seven bushels per acre.

Overall nationwide winter wheat is forecast at a 12% increase over 2020. As of June 1, U.S. yield is predicted to be 2.3 bushels per acre above last year's average of 50.9 bushels per acre.