Winter wheat production in Colorado, based on conditions as of July 1, 2024, is forecast at 71.37 million bushels, according to the July 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.This forecast is down 6 percent from the June 1 forecast and is down 4 percent from the 74.62-million-bushel crop produced last year.

Harvested area, forecast at 1.83 million acres, is 10,000 acres, or less than 1 percent, above last year. Average yield is forecast at 39.0 bushels per acre, down 2.0 bushels from the June 1 forecast and from last year’s final yield.

As of June 30, Colorado’s winter wheat crop condition was rated 10 percent very poor, 15 percent poor, 35 percent fair, 32 percent good, and 8 percent excellent, compared with 9 percent very poor, 14 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 44 percent good, and 12 percent excellent last year.

Producers had harvested 23 percent of the crop, compared with a 5-year average of 6 percent. Harvest had not yet begun last year.

Barley production in Colorado is forecast at 5.88 million bushels, down 12 percent from the 6.68-million-bushel crop produced in 2023.

Harvested area is expected to total 42,000 acres, down 9,000 acres, or 18 percent, from last year.Barley yield is forecast at 140.0 bushels per acre, up 9.0 bushels from last year’s final yield.

As of June 30, Colorado’s barley crop condition was rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 45 percent good, and 18 percent excellent, compared with 10 percent fair, 45 percent good, and 45 percent excellent last year.

The barley crop was 74 percent headed and 3 percent colored, compared with 5-year averages of 52 percent headed and 3 percent colored.