Wichita — Kansas farmers will likely abandon 9.1 percent of their winter wheat acres based on current conditions, a Kansas State University agricultural economist said Thursday.
Economist William Tierney Jr. projected a 2003 wheat harvest in the state of 346 million bushels. That is 79 million bushels more than last year's drought-stricken crop.
The forecast is based on projections of 9.36 million acres harvested and a yield of 37 bushels per acre, according to Tierney's report.
Mid-April appears to be a critical time for wheat farmers to decide whether or not they are going to harvest all their wheat acres, he said. Crop condition seems to have the strongest affect on that decision.
Since 1980, the percent of wheat acres abandoned in Kansas has ranged from 28 percent in 1989 to 4 percent in 2000.
Based on planted acres and crop conditions as of April 6, Tierney anticipates farmers will harvest 1.25 million acres more than last year.
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