COLORADO HIGHLIGHTS 

Winter wheat production in Colorado, based on conditions as of July 1, 2018, is forecast at 75.85 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 13 percent below the 86.86 million bushel crop produced last year. Estimated acreage for harvest, at 2.05 million acres, is 30,000 acres more than the 2.02 million acres harvested in 2017. As of July 1, the average yield is forecast at 37.0 bushels per acre, 3.0 bushels below the June 1 forecast and 6.0 bushels below last year’s final yield. 

As of July 1, Colorado's winter wheat crop condition was rated 5 percent very poor, 18 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 41 percent good, and 7 percent excellent, compared with 6 percent very poor, 15 percent poor, 37 percent fair, 30 percent good, and 12 percent excellent last year. Winter wheat harvest was 21 percent complete, compared with 11 percent last year and the 5-year average of 9 percent. 

Barley production is forecast at 6.15 million bushels, down 31 percent from the 2017 crop. Area harvested is expected to total 50,000 acres, down 18,000 acres from the 68,000 acres harvested last year. Barley yield is forecast at 123.0 bushels per acre, 9.0 bushels per acre below last year. 

As of July 1, Colorado’s barley crop condition was rated 40 percent fair, 42 percent good, and 18 percent excellent, compared with 22 percent fair, 49 percent good, and 29 percent excellent last year. Barley headed was at 75 percent complete, compared with 78 percent last year and the 5-year average of 65 percent. 

UNITED STATES HIGHLIGHTS 

Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.19 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the June 1 forecast and down 6 percent from 2017. As of July 1, the United States yield is forecast at 48.0 bushels per acre, down 0.4 bushel from last month and down 2.2 bushels from last year’s average yield of 50.2 bushels per acre. The area expected to be harvested for grain totals 24.8 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 29, 2018, but down 2 percent from last year. 

Hard Red Winter production, at 657 million bushels, is up 1 percent from last month. Soft Red Winter, at 303 million bushels, is down 4 percent from the June forecast. White Winter, at 232 million bushels, is up less than 1 percent from last month. Of the White Winter production, 21.1 million bushels are Hard White and 211 million bushels are Soft White. 

Barley production is forecast at 155 million bushels, up 9 percent from 2017. Based on conditions as of July 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 75.6 bushels per acre, up 3.0 bushels from last year. Record high yields are forecast in Minnesota and Montana. Area harvested for grain or seed, at 2.05 million acres, is unchanged from the Acreagereport released on June 29, 2018, but up 5 percent from 2017.