Hot, Dry, Windy Weather Slashes Winter Wheat Yields, Kansas State Research Confirms

Winter wheat production in the U.S. has endured notable losses in 2022, largely due to challenging weather conditions. The environmental “triple threat” included dry, hot and windy conditions that slashed wheat yields in Kansas and other Great Plains states by 4% over the past 40 years, according to a Kansas State University report.

The report outlined how the combination of low relative humidity, high temperatures and strong winds was shown to be a negative climate risk for yields. Kansas State researchers developed a model that examined per-county winter wheat yields that could be important to farmers striving to understand how climate change disrupts crop yields.

Read more on climate-related research on winter wheat yield losses here.