Illinois wheat planting was completed more or less on time last fall. Snowfall helped protect the crop during cold periods, and wheat stands did not show widespread winter injury, although much of the state remained drier than normal into late winter.
Above-normal temperatures in February promoted early greenup. March ended 6 degrees warmer than normal statewide and brought multiple precipitation events that improved soil moisture and supported vegetative growth and tiller development.
The USDA-NASS crop progress report released April 6 rated Illinois winter wheat condition at 72% good and excellent, 24% fair and 4% poor or very poor. These ratings are slightly better than those reported at the same time last year.
Overall, current ratings indicate that the 2026 wheat crop has come through the winter in reasonably good shape.
Wheat acreage in Illinois has trended downward for much of the past 50 years, declining from about 1.5 million acres in the 1970s to an average of approximately 570,000 acres between 2015 and 2022.
Acreage rebounded in more recent years, averaging nearly 750,000 acres over the past five years, with 2026 acreage estimated at 720,000.
This recent increase began with increases in wheat prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been sustained by outstanding yields. The average Illinois wheat yield from 2021 to 2025 was 83.8 bushels per acre, with a state‑record yield of 88 bushels per acre in 2025.
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