Wheat harvest numbers holding strong at midpoint

Combines roll to a field to continue harvest near Kamiak Butte Monday. Whitman County grows 26 percent of Washington’s annual wheat crop.

Harvest 2017 is at its halfway point and the numbers coming from area grain elevators to the United States Department of Agriculture are looking good.

The USDA’s projections for Washington state wheat as of Aug. 10 show an overall prediction for the year at 141 million bushels, down from a near-record 157 million in 2016. The five-year average is 133 million.

The statewide winter wheat projection is at 71 bushels per acre and spring wheat at 46 per acre.

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