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Drought Conditions Stressing Kansas Wheat Crop Despite Wednesday Rain
While parts of wheat country received spotty rains overnight on Wednesday, an overall lack of April showers does not bode well for May flowers or for the Kansas wheat crop. The latest reports on crop conditions and weather, in addition to firsthand producer observations, indicate the 2025 wheat crop is showing clear signs of drought stress, at the same time as unseasonably warm temperatures followed by a quick pivot to chilly weather are hitting the state.
According to the latest Kansas Crop Progress and Condition report, released on April 14 by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, winter wheat conditions were rated at 43 percent good to excellent — a significant drop from 51 percent the week prior. The NASS report also noted declines in both topsoil and subsoil moisture.
The report matches data from the Kansas Mesonet, accessed on April 17, which shows varying moisture conditions across the state. Bands of rain showers lit up the sky Wednesday night, giving relief to some growers, particularly in the eastern side of the state. Still, the majority of the central and western parts of the state have received only very small amounts of moisture (.10 inches) in the past two weeks. Overall, it’s been a long time since much of wheat country has had a good drink.
Looking at the Mesonet data, around 150 days appears to be a very common number. As in, for many parts of wheat-growing country, it has been nearly five months since any significant moisture was received, somewhere between a quarter inch to a full inch of rain.
That’s exactly the case in Hoisington in central Kansas, where the Mesonet station reported a quarter inch of rain just over two weeks ago but quickly hit the 150-day mark for anything more than that. It’s no surprise then that producers are losing their hope for what started out as a promising wheat crop.
According to area producer Josh Debes, farmers planted into moisture and had well-established stands through the winter. A month ago, he could still find moisture four to five inches deep.
Since then, conditions have deteriorated with cracks reappearing in the soil, the wheat visibility slowing its growth and the bottom leaves of the plant turning yellow. He noted the problem spots in fields are now easily visible, where cattle were fed and soil was compacted or where terraces were reworked in the past five years. Wednesday’s storm clouds were beautiful to watch, but ultimately skipped over Barton County.
“We started seeing issues two to three weeks ago, but the wheat has looked progressively worse as we’ve missed all of the rain,” Debes said. “In the northern part of the county, the wheat is no longer looking so promising. We’re now on par with the previous three summers of abnormally dry, drought-limiting crops.”
This situation tracks with the U.S. Drought Monitor’s update on April 17, 2025, which lists nearly 84 percent of the state as abnormally dry — drought ratings of D0-D4. Compared to the drought ratings from this year at this time, the overall dry conditions are similar, but more of the state is edging into moderate drought ratings (55 percent in 2025 compared to 30 percent in 2024).
K-State agronomy specialist Jeanne Falk-Jones hit the road this week from her home base in Colby to Garden City to Tribune, allowing her to take stock of what the wheat crop looks like in western Kansas. The drought stress is evident even from the road — yellow leaves showing up at the bottom of the stems, fields that are losing that deep, green color and poorer areas becoming more evident.
According to the USDA-NASS report, 46 percent of the Kansas wheat crop has now jointed, on pace with last year but ahead of the five-year average of 34 percent. Falk-Jones noted that the wheat crop is now pushing that second joint above ground and the stem is being formed. The wheat plant at this stage needs more moisture, magnifying the impact of drought stress and the hot temperatures hitting Kansas this week.
Remember, at this stage, the wheat plant has already set the total potential kernels that will develop in the wheat head. Any stress from here until harvest will drop that number down, although the impact of the current dry weather and temperature swings will not be realized until the plant is more fully developed.
She also cautioned producers to not assume all yellow leaves are due to drought stress. Scouting is necessary to determine the source of the plant stress. Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant indicates drought stress or nitrogen deficiency, but yellow and green mottling on parts of the leaf (versus the whole leaf) could be the result of disease showing up, particularly Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV) or a related disease like Triticum Mosaic Virus (TriMV) or High Plains Mosaic Virus.
Falk-Jones also reminded producers that any moisture event will aid that plant in developing those kernels and plumping them up come grain fill. On her drive, she also observed there is still some very good-looking wheat in the countryside, likely the result of management practices aimed at conserving soil moisture.
“We always joke that wheat has nine lives,” Falk-Jones said. “Wheat is a pretty dynamic plant in response to stress. That’s part of the reason it fits well in western Kansas.”
Keep track of this year’s harvest as the crop progresses with Kansas Wheat at kswheat.com and stay tuned for field tour dates as they are announced.
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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat
