US winter wheat harvested area falls to a record low

U.S. winter wheat harvested area fell to a record low in 2026, dropping to 20.89 mln acres from 25.58 mln acres a year earlier. According to USDA, winter wheat production totaled 1.019 bln bushels, down 27% from 2025.

The decline in output reflected both lower harvested area and weaker yields. Average winter wheat yield fell to 48.8 bushels per acre from 54.9 bushels per acre a year earlier, while planted area declined to 31.2 mln acres.

Hard red winter (HRW) wheat production fell particularly sharply to 466.4 mln bushels from 806.3 mln bushels in 2025, a decline of around 42%. Soft red winter production also decreased to 253.9 mln bushels, while combined white winter wheat output rose to 259.2 mln bushels.

One of the steepest declines was recorded in Kansas, a key HRW-producing state. Winter wheat production there fell to 200.6 mln bushels from 346.8 mln bushels a year earlier, while average yield dropped to 34 bushels per acre from 51 in 2025.

Overall U.S. wheat production in 2026 is estimated at 1.534 bln bushels, down 23% year-on-year. Drought, weak profitability and sluggish demand were among the main factors behind the decline.

Tags: winter wheat, USA, harvested area