Farmers devastated by delayed wheat season as harvest outlook turns grim: 'We have reason to be concerned'

You may not think much about wheat, but it's a big global business and a major food source. 

Oklahoma is unfortunately having a hard season, which was reported at the Wheat Quality Council's annual meeting in February. 

What's happening?

According to Baking Business, 55% of the wheat crop is rated poor to fair, which is extremely high for that early in the season, according to Oklahoma Wheat Commission's Mike Schulte. Only 37% is rated good, and 3% excellent.

The fields were seeded from November through December, so the crop is about a month to a month-and-a-half behind normal growing. 

But if the state had seeded earlier, it would have to deal with heavy rains and poor conditions in the fields. However, later seeding faces freezing temperatures and bigger temperature swings than usual. For example, minus-10 to minus-20 degree wind chills and then back up to 60 degrees in late February. 

The fertilizer has also been delayed because the state is hoping for rain. 

Schulte said, "We have reason to be concerned about the crop being so far behind along with the large temperature variance and lack of moisture. If we do get a warm, early spring, we could potentially predict to see a major yield loss in this crop this coming year."

Why is potential wheat loss concerning?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), wheat "ranks third among U.S. field crops in planted acreage, production, and gross farm receipts," just behind corn and soybeans. 

USDA added, "In marketing year 2024/25, U.S. farmers produced a total of 2.0 billion bushels of Winter, Durum, and Other Spring wheat from a harvested area of 38.5 million acres." 

The Oklahoma Historical Society reports the state produces 11% of the country's winter wheat crop, ranking it second in the U.S. It also produces 8% of all wheat for the country, making it the fourth-highest producer in the U.S.

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Wheat can be a significant source of energy in diets, which comes from carbohydrates. It also includes other nutritional value, including fiber, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. 

Changing weather events due to rising temperatures are making growing wheat harder. According to NPR, a study at Kansas State University examined the effects over 40 years in six states: Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Kansas. 

Extreme weather events like hot temperatures, high winds, and dry conditions negatively impact wheat crops. When two of these events happen at once, it's even worse, and it's the worst when all three happen simultaneously. 

What's being done about declining wheat crops?

Oklahoma State University is conducting "wheat improvement research" to help farmers. 

Meanwhile, exploring critical climate issues, such as the decline of wheat crops, can help to better understand how to combat these issues. 

Reducing our production of planet-warming pollution — by avoiding the use of gas-guzzling cars when possible and switching to renewable domestic energy, for example — can help to reduce the rate of rising global temperatures that make growing conditions more difficult. 

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