SPRING WHEAT PRODUCTION Spring Wheat other than Durum Growers produced an estimated 561 million bushels (15.4 million metric tons), down 4 percent from 1993 production and down 27 percent from 1992. Yield averaged 32 bushels per acre, down 2 bushels per acre from 1993. Area harvested totaled 17.6 million acres (6.8 hectares), 4 percent less than the 18.2 million acres (7.1 million hectares) in 1993. Seeding of the spring wheat ranged greatly from early in some of the drier areas to later than normal. The early seeded wheat encountered reasonably good growing conditions until early June. Wet weather followed in late June and July, but August and September were normal in Minnesota and the eastern portions of North Dakota. Fusarium head blight attacked wheat in some areas of South Dakota and in the northern growing areas, including Manitoba, Canada. The results were devastating for both yield and quality of the grain. Wheat in the northern Red River Valley were evaluated for DON and averaged almost 10 ppm, much higher than the acceptable limit for human recommended guidelines (2 ppm). Other leaf diseases were present in epidemic proportions in some areas. Loss estimates from scab due to decreased yield and quality to the wheat crop were estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars. The 1994 Spring Wheat Crop The Statistical Reporting Service, USDA Preliminary Report: Spring Wheat Other Than Durum Acres Harvest Average Yield Total Bushels (1000) (bu/A) (1000) STATE 1992 1993 1994 1992 1993 1994 1992 1993 1994 MN 2,800 2,500 2,500 50 33 28 137,500 75,900 70,000 MT 2,560 2,750 3,300 30 34 30 73,500 90,100 99,000 ND 9,200 9,700 8,800 42 32 32 282,200 291,200 278,775 SD 2,700 2,200 1,980 34 27 26 85,000 54,540 51,480 USA 15,100 18,698 17,647 42 34 32 755,218 579,060 560,720