The first loads of wheat began arriving Tuesday at Douglas County elevators and, as expected, quality was above average.

Steve Wilson, owner of Baldwin Feed and Grain, said he accepted a load of wheat Tuesday morning that was cut Monday before rains halted combines.

Wilson said the crop’s yield was estimated between 40 and 50 bushels per acre.

Area farmers and agriculture officials earlier predicted an average yield of about 50 bushels per acre. That would be less than last year’s average yield of 64 bushels per acre but higher than the five-year average of 44 bushels per acre.

Wilson said test weights and moisture content also were good.

Monday night’s rains halted the area harvest, and farmers Tuesday were closely watching the weather and waiting on wheat and fields to dry. Wilson said he expected cutting to resume today and finish in about two weeks, barring more rain.

“If the weather would shape up, everybody would be in pretty good shape around here,” Wilson said.

If the rains delay the harvest, Wilson said there would be concerns about crop deterioration.

Chris Hetherington, of Ottawa Co-op’s South Lawrence Elevator, said he also received one load of wheat Tuesday afternoon. The load also had been cut Monday. He said he expected the crop to be a healthy one based on what he had seen.

“I think farmers will be fairly happy,” Hetherington said. “I don’t think we’ll see the bushels per acre we saw last year, but they should still be good.”