Down on the Farm

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Elements batter wheat crop

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma's winter wheat harvest may yield less than half the amount taken in last year.

Oklahoma Wheat Commission executive director Mike Schulte says the harvest is about 98 percent complete and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates about 73.5 million bushels will be harvested.

Schulte says the 2008 harvest yielded about 166.5 million bushels, but last year was considered to be a bumper crop.

He says this year's crop was battered by drought, a late-spring freeze and flooding rains.

Oklahoma State University professor Kim Anderson says last year's harvest had a value of $1.08 billion.

Anderson says the five-year average has been about 127.7 million bushels yielded with a $611 million value.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.