Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
North Dakota’s 2026 wheat crop appears to be in good condition following several weeks of intense heat, according to participants in the annual Wheat Quality Council Spring Wheat and Durum Tour.
Arantza Quintero, technical specialist in the U.S. Wheat Associates Mexico City office, and two Mexican customers joined about 40 other wheat industry stakeholders in July for a close-up examination of the crop.
“We were fortunate to be welcomed by favorable weather conditions in North Dakota after several weeks of intense heat,” Quintero said. “Overall, we observed that the northern wheat crop appears to be in good condition.”
Quintero traveled with Sean Finnie, interim head of the Wheat Quality Council, during the tour. Along the black route, they stopped at Birdsall Grain and Seed near Berthold, North Dakota.
Mark Birdsall, a member of the North Dakota Wheat Commission who regularly participates in U.S. Wheat Associates activities, provided a tour of his family’s seed and fertilizer facilities.
“Mark and his family provided us with a tour of their seed and fertilizer facilities,” Quintero said. “This stop was a highly enriching experience that offered valuable knowledge.”
At the end of the day, Quintero met with the rest of the tour participants in Devils Lake for the daily roundup discussion.
The second day’s estimated average yield was 48.1 bushels per acre for hard red spring wheat, based on 89 fields surveyed, and 48.9 bushels per acre for durum, based on 19 field stops.
The final three-day weighted average for the tour was 48.0 bushels per acre for both wheat classes, based on 238 total field stops. The average yield was 48.0 bushels per acre for hard red spring wheat and 48.2 bushels per acre for durum.
Quintero and her fellow participants returned to Mexico with firsthand knowledge of the potential for this year’s crops. The experience also reinforced confidence in the quality, reliability and value of the U.S. wheat supply chain.
“Traveling across North Dakota, networking with U.S. wheat industry representatives and doing the yield calculations provides an excellent opportunity for our customers to get firsthand experience with U.S. wheat production,” said Mitch Skalicky, USW Mexico City regional vice president. “The wheat tour not only provides important market intelligence about the U.S. wheat crop development but is also a valuable tool to build customer confidence in the U.S. wheat marketing system.”
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, "Mexican Customers Survey U.S. Northern Wheat Crop on Wheat Quality Council Tour"