This article was originally posted at 2:01 p.m. CDT on Thursday, July 24. It was last updated with additional information at 5:12 p.m. CDT on Thursday, July 24.

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Day 3 of the Wheat Quality Council's Spring Wheat and Durum Tour concluded Thursday with the final three-day total weighted average yield estimate of 48.3 bushels per acre (bpa) measured across 307 fields during the three days. The average spring wheat yield of 292 fields was estimated at 49.0 bpa, and the average durum yield of 14 fields was estimated at 37.0 bpa.

In the 2024 tour, the final total weighted average yield estimate of 257 fields was a record 53.8 bpa, with an average spring wheat yield of 237 fields at 54.5 bpa and an average durum yield of 18 fields at 45.3 bpa.

Going back as far as 1994, the top overall tour yield for HRS wheat was 49.9 bpa in 2015 and the top for durum was 45.4 bpa in 2016.

Jim Peterson, executive director of the North Dakota Wheat Commission, was among the tour participants. "The crop is relatively clean right now, but more lodging than usual in some areas," said Peterson. "If it doesn't dry out, that could take yield and quality potentially lower. There are no major visible issues yet in the crop, but it could escalate in the wetter parts of the state. The later-planted portion in areas would still benefit from rain.

"With the tour findings, it probably points to the USDA yield for North Dakota spring wheat as overstated, so we will see if there are any adjustments in August," Peterson added.

DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Mongomery said, "It makes sense in combination with the weekly USDA crop ratings. North Dakota spring wheat ratings were 16 points lower on good to excellent in mid-July 2025 than in 2024. Minnesota, though, is 5 points higher at 87% good to excellent. In terms of the national average yield for spring wheat, though, it's going to be interesting with such a disparity between Minnesota/North Dakota and Montana's 7% good, 0% excellent, and 41% poor to very poor."

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick noted that the weather hasn't been easy to diagnose this year. "Drought covered much of the spring wheat areas in late March, but not all. Some areas were probably too dry to plant while some folks waited for some soil moisture.

"Also, the overall lack of a snowpack in the spring probably led to some folks getting planting a little early, too, widening out the planting dates. And for others, we had some pretty variable temperatures, too, so they probably waited until the risk of frost was over," Baranick said.

"Some areas that didn't have drought now have it (Montana), and others, especially South Dakota, had some pretty severe drought in March, but it's gone now. So, really only near the Canadian border is under drought at the moment."

Baranick added that the variable pattern meant a bunch of systems/fronts/disturbances moved through the region throughout the spring and summer.

"Montana was notably left out on a lot of these, though, hence the increase in the drought, especially in June when it (wheat) was starting to head," Baranick said.

"That also meant that some areas had some really good weather, too, and I'm not surprised you're hearing about some really good yields/quality. North Dakota specifically had some really interesting weather with that pseudo-derecho that moved through on June 20, which may have been a good or a bad thing at the time, since there was a bunch of needed rainfall with it along with some damaging winds and a few tornadoes," Baranick added.

For more on Day 2 of the tour, see https://www.dtnpf.com/….

For more on Day 1 of the tour, visit https://www.dtnpf.com/….

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins and DTN Crops Technology Editor Pam Smith contributed to this story.

Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @MaryCKenn

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