This article was originally posted at 7:50 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 23. It was updated with additional information at 9:42 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 23. It was last updated at 06:23 CDT on Thursday, July 24.

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Day 2 of the Wheat Quality Council's Spring Wheat and Durum Tour concluded Wednesday with a total weighted average yield estimate of 46.2 bushels per acre (bpa) for 150 total fields sampled. Last year, the total weighted average yield estimate on Day 2 was 52.5 bpa for 116 total fields. Field sampling took place in northwest and north-central North Dakota as the tour participants traveled from Bismarck to Devils Lake.

The two-day total for all wheat is 47.8 bpa for 273 fields, with 14 fields of durum at 37.0 bpa and 258 fields of spring wheat estimated at 48.5 bpa. In 2024, the two-day total for all wheat was 52.4 bpa for 215 fields, with 18 durum fields at 45.3 bpa and 195 spring wheat fields averaging 53.1 bpa.

"Today, overall yields were off a little compared to our first day of sampling," said Anne Osborne, executive director of the National Wheat Foundation, who's participating in this year's tour. "But the crop looks healthy, and in general, the quality of the crop appeared good."

Tour participants reported a range of maturities, which was attributed to a more spread-out planting window in the northern portion of the state this year.

Scouts also turned in a significantly larger number of samples for the second day -- recording results from 150 fields this year compared to 116 last year.

Farmers who came to listen to the tour reports noted discouragement over low wheat prices but hopes for a good-quality crop at harvest.

The audience also listened to a presentation from Paul Brown, co-founder and CEO of Inspire Brands, a national multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes Arby's, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin', Jimmy John's and Sonic. "Hearing from end users of wheat and letting them hear our story is always good," Osborne said.

Brian Walker, National Wheat Foundation director said, "My route today covered mostly the central part of the state from Bismark to Underwood, moving east on (Highway) 200 to Highway 3 north through Harvey to Rugby. We made 11 stops, 10 spring wheat and one durum. We saw a lot of very nice-looking wheat fields all day. We saw a lot of nice-looking crops in general.

"We saw minimal damage and minimal disease and insect impact. In other words, we saw a field or two with hail damage and some drowned wheat from early rains, but minimal. We saw some wheat stem maggot, but minimal. Minimal fusarium head blight."

Walker added, "Harvest is anywhere from two to five weeks out, but if some sunny and low humidity weather would ideally set in for a while, it would push this crop along to an optimally produced and high quality wheat crop."

Thursday, Day 3 of the tour, includes a visit to the North Dakota Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks, which Dave Green, Wheat Quality Council executive vice president, described as an "exceptional piece" to include during this week of training.

"Even the millers on the tour can't get in their own flour mills anymore," Green said. "I try to get everybody there who wants to see it because they may never get another chance."

The final crop discussion will commence at 1:30 p.m. CDT at Northern Crops Institute in Fargo.

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins and DTN Crops Technology Editor Pam Smith contributed to this story.

For results from Day 1 of the tour, visit https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Mary Kennedy can be reached at Mary.Kennedy@dtn.com

Follow her on social media app X @MaryCKenn

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