Wichita ? Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer said Thursday he was “just stunned” at the amount of freeze damage to the Kansas wheat crop in northwest Kansas.

Shroyer is among a group of agronomists in the area this week examining hundreds of samples brought in by farmers to find out how much wheat was damaged by last week’s late freeze.

“If (farmers) don’t go look at it, they may be surprised when they bring their combines in,” Shroyer said. “Between the drought, hail, freeze and now heat, it sure is running out of its nine lives.”

On Wednesday, Shroyer examined about 175 samples brought in by farmers in Norton, Hoxie and Quinter. On Thursday, Shroyer was in Oakley, Goodland and Rawlins County.

Most samples from Hoxie, Quinter and Oakley didn’t look very good, he said Thursday. Wheat brought in by Norton farmers showed damage, but looked a little better than other stops, he said.

“Maybe these are the only producers that had a problem — or this might be a pretty good representative sample of that wheat,” Shroyer said. “I am guessing it is a representative sample. I’m not quite as optimistic as I was before that freeze.”

Freezing temperatures last week included lows of 32 degrees in Hays, Dodge City and Garden City, 27 degrees in Goodland and Colby, and 29 degrees in Tribune.