Wheat harvest booming in Illinois

By Andi Anderson

The Illinois Wheat Association revealed optimistic projections for this year's wheat harvest following a comprehensive one-day crop tour. Despite expectations of surpassing last year's record yields, concerns about crop diseases caused by recent wet weather might temper these forecasts.

On Tuesday, the tour reported an estimated average yield of 104 bushels per acre across 59 fields, mainly in southern Illinois. This is a significant increase from last year's tour, which predicted an average yield of 97.1 bushels per acre.

These figures notably exceed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's official projection of 83 bushels per acre for 2024, down from 87 bushels last year.

Illinois holds the position as the seventh-largest U.S. winter wheat producer and leads in producing soft red winter wheat, commonly used in cookies and snack foods. However, crop scouts identified the presence of fusarium head blight, also known as head scab, which could pose risks.

This fungal disease may lead to elevated levels of vomitoxin, a toxin harmful to animals and humans. Grain elevators are vigilant and may discount or reject wheat with vomitoxin levels above 2 parts per million.

Although the infection levels appeared low, experts like Dr. Jessica Rutkoski, a wheat breeder from the University of Illinois, advised that the full impact of the disease would be clearer as the harvest approaches. "The extent of disease progression in the coming weeks will be critical," she noted during the tour.

The state's wheat producers are thus in a race against time and weather, with potential global supply concerns in the backdrop due to crop issues in Russia, a major wheat exporter.

These factors combined have driven U.S. wheat prices to their highest in ten months, reflecting the interconnected nature of global agricultural markets.

As Illinois wheat growers eye, the weeks leading to harvest, the industry remains hopeful yet cautious, aware that final yields could shift dramatically depending on weather conditions and disease management efforts.

Photo Credit: istock-zhaojiankang