Latest estimates put the 2000 wheat output at about 26.8 million tonnes, virtually unchanged from the previous year. However, the harvest was hampered by wet weather and the average quality crop is reported to be somewhat poorer than normal. Early indications for the 2001 wheat crop, the bulk of which will be sown in April/May, point to a similar overall area as in the previous year. The milling wheat area may increase at the expense of durum and oilcrops. Aggregate output of coarse grains in 2000 is estimated at 24.5 million tonnes, some 9 percent down from the previous year and the smallest crop since 1995. The decrease is largely due to wet and cold conditions throughout the season, which affected yields.
As of mid-February, weather conditions in the Great Plains, the major winter wheat growing area in the United States, continued to remain at best satisfactory for the 2001 wheat crop. Conditions have generally been colder than normal throughout the plains, keeping crop development at a slow pace. Some crops in northern Texas and Kansas are reported to have suffered significant damage from wind and frost. According to the USDA Seedings Report of 11 January, the winter wheat area for the 2001 harvest has declined to 16.7 million hectares, some 800 000 hectares or 5 percent less than the previous year and the lowest level since 1971. Dry conditions, which hampered planting in the main growing areas, are cited as the major cause of the reduction.
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