Spring Wheat Harvest Almost Caught Up to Normal

Another decent week in the fields has the US spring wheat harvest almost caught up to the average pace.

 

An estimated 82% of the American spring wheat crop was in the bin as of Sunday, according to Tuesday’s USDA crop progress report. That’s up from 69% a week earlier and now just 5 points behind the five-year average pace. As of mid-August, the harvest was running as many as 15 points behind the average.

 

In the primary production state of North Dakota, the harvest advanced to 76% complete from 59% a week earlier, ahead of 63% last year but still 10 points behind the average. The Minnesota harvest gained 9 points on the week to 94% complete, 2 points ahead of average, while Montana gained 10 points to 84% done, 1 point ahead of average. At 97% complete, the South Dakota is essentially winding up near the average pace.

 

At 69% good to excellent as of Sunday, the condition of the spring wheat crop was down 4 points from a week earlier.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.