SPRING WHEAT PRODUCTION
                                      
                       SPRING WHEAT OTHER THAN DURUM.
 
 Growers produced an estimated 529,03 3 million bushels (15.8 million metric
 tons), down 6 percent from the 1997 production and down 23 percent from
 1996. Yield averaged 35 bushels per acre, up 5 bushels per acre from 1997
 and similar to 1996. Area harvested totaled 18.7 million acres (7.6 million
 hectares), 4 percent less than the 19.5 million acres (7.9 million
 hectares) in 1996.
 
 Seeding of the spring wheat was generally earlier than normal to timely
 throughout the region. The early seeded wheat encountered reasonably good
 growing conditions until wet weather in late June and July, but mid-July,
 August and September were drier and warmer than normal in Minnesota and
 North Dakota. Fusarium head blight attacked wheat during anthesis in
 Northern North Dakota and in Northwestern Minnesota, including Manitoba,
 Canada. Because of the warm dry weather, scab did not spread in the head
 extensively and did not cause major losses in either yield and quality of
 the grain. However, very northern sites and Manitoba, Canada experienced
 and estimated 10% loss. Leaf diseases were present in some areas losses
 were relatively low since about 50 percent of the production acreage in
 Northwestern Minnesota was sprayed to control scab and potential losses
 were reduced greatly by the dry warm weather.
 
                        SPRING WHEAT OTHER THAN DURUM
 
                Acres (1000)        Yield (Bu/A)        Bushels (1000)
 
            1996  1997  1998   1996 1997 1998   1996  1997    1998
 Minnesota  2,400 2,400 1,920  42.0 33.0  41  100,800  78,800   78700
 Montana    4,100 4,200 3,600  26.0 29.0  30  106,600 121,800 108,000
 North Dakota     9,500 8,400  6,600     33.0   25.0   32   313,500
 210,000     211,200
 South Dakota     2,250 2,400  1,850     37.0   28.0   32   83,250
 66,200       59,200
 USA        19,500      18,657 15,621    35.1   29.9   35   687,775
 557,500     529,033