Worsening Spring Drought Puts U.S. Wheat at Risk

May 13, 2026

By Ryan Hanrahan

TIME’s Rebecca Schneid reported that “the United States experienced its worst spring drought on record last month, with more than 60% of land in the lower 48 states experiencing moderate drought or worse. The drought has sparked alarm among farmers and environmentalists across the country, who warn that food supplies may be impacted and wildfires may blight areas where they are not usually seen.”

“The dry conditions are concentrated in the southeast, where moderate to exceptional drought covered 99.81% of the region at its peak in April, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor,” Schneid reported. “Severe to exceptional drought covered more than 80% of the region, the highest level in April since the monitor began collecting data in 2000.”

“The drought is threatening to have a severe impact on major agricultural crops, from wheat farmers in Kansas to vegetable farmers in Georgia. The poor conditions and low yields come at a time when farmers are already struggling due to tariffs and the rising cost of fertilizer resulting from the war in Iran,” Schneid reported. “Virginia farmer Billy Bain, 81, told a local CBS News affiliate that this year, his 58th year planting crops, is the worst drought he has ever seen.”

“‘We had to stop planting because it’s so dry,’ Bain said, adding that the costs of his farm have gone up in the wake of the fuel crisis sparked by the Iran war,” Schneid reported. “‘It’s very costly per day, especially when you are looking at diesel fuel prices at $4 for off-road, over $5 on road, so just another cost when you have dry weather.'”

“For wheat farmers across the Great Plains, those late April to early May weeks are critical as winter wheat begins to mature before the summer harvest,” Schneid reported. “Yet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast that this year’s wheat acreage will be the lowest since 1919.”

Wheat Acres Being Abandoned in Kansas

RFD-TV’s Marion Kirkpatrick reported that “months of dry weather are forcing some Kansas farmers to abandon hard red winter wheat acres as drought conditions continue to pressure crops across the Southern Plains. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, winter wheat is also under significant stress, with nearly half of the crop rated poor to very poor amid ongoing moisture shortages and disease concerns.”

Source : illinois.edu

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