Spring Blizzard Buries Hopes Of Many Western Kansas Wheat Farmers

The freak late-spring blizzard over the weekend could prove disastrous for farmers in far western Kansas. It’s still too early to know for sure, but some western Kansas farmers are reporting much of their wheat was damaged or killed by the weight of the wet snow. A more exact answer will come during this week’s annual tour of the state’s wheat country by dozens of agricultural analysts and industry experts. They will examine hundreds of fields in central and western Kansas and will issue a forecast on the state’s wheat condition and yield on Thursday. In 2016, the Kansas wheat harvest had a value of about $2 billion.