Written by Shelby Priddle, assistant director of communications, Kansas Wheat
This is day 12 of the Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Grain and Feed Association and the Kansas Cooperative Council.
Harvest continued over the holiday weekend, with farmers finishing up with the remaining wheat that was left to cut. Weather stayed hot and dry, with slight rain in certain areas across the state, allowing farmers to wrap up.
The Kansas wheat harvest is 91 percent complete, ahead of last year’s 78 percent complete and the five-year average of 74 percent, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service crop progress report ending July 5, 2026.
Gary Beachner, President & CEO of Beachner Grain, reported that their primary location in Labette County saw their first load on June 1. The area as a whole is set to wrap up with harvest by the end of the week. Local farmers saw several thunderstorms throughout the month of June, leading to delays in getting wheat cut.
“We had quite a delay in June, with all the rain, so that really hurt the quantity and quality of the wheat,” said Beachner. “Our area just got started again, in earnest, around June 29. We had quite a break from the rain so farmers were able to get out in the fields again.”
Beachner stated his area, like many others across the state, suffered from the weather challenges that hit Kansas when it was looking like it would be an early harvest season.
“We had a fairly good crop in the field going into the 2026 season, prior to the delayed rains coming in. Once we were able to get into the field, we could tell the crop had some freeze damage from the late spring freeze,” said Beachner. “Our crop was mature earlier this year than it has been in the last few years, so all of the rain in June right when the wheat was ripe was detrimental to the fields and the quality.”
Mike Jordan, a farmer in Mitchell County, reported finishing up with harvest the night of July 3. Jordan stated they had taken their first load on June 12, which is early in the season for them, but rain had delayed their progress.
“We were shut down for harvest for about 9 days due to the rain,” said Jordan. “Until about May 21, we had only received about 3.5 inches of total precipitation for the entire year. From May 21 to now, we’ve had about 13 inches of rain. So going from extraordinarily dry to quite wet has made for a challenging harvest, along with the wheat having significant freeze and some insect damage.”
Jordan reported having a variety of yields, ranging from 12 bushels per acre to 60 bushels per acre. He also stated protein levels of his crop were as low as under 11 percent and as high as 15.2 percent.
“The wheat is not as good as last year,” said Jordan. “Last year we had about an average crop, with wheat on soybeans being about 50 bushel an acre. For continuous wheat, we hope for between 60 and 70 bushels an acre. This is what we budget and fertilize for.”
The 2026 Harvest Report is brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Grain and Feed Association, and the Kansas Cooperative Council. To follow along with harvest updates on X, use #wheatharvest26. Tag us at @kansaswheat on Facebook, Instagram and X to share your harvest story and photos.
