Oklahoma wheat growers are cutting the last fields of a harvest that came in short on bushels but strong on quality.

Combines began rolling in southern counties in late May, weeks ahead of the usual pace, and by mid-June most of the state's crop was in the bin. Yields came in below last year, with many fields making 20 to 35 bushels per acre after drought and late freezes thinned stands through spring.

What the crop lacked in volume, it made up for in grain quality. Test weights ran 60 to 63 pounds per bushel across much of the state, and protein levels climbed above 12 percent in most areas. Elevators reported few issues with moisture or sprout damage, and the grain moving to terminal markets has graded well.

The smaller crop reflects a season of weather setbacks. Dry conditions through fall planting left some fields with thin stands, and an April freeze caught wheat in vulnerable growth stages across central and western Oklahoma. Rainfall in May helped some late fields fill, but not enough to restore yield potential in the hardest-hit areas.

Harvest progressed quickly once it started. Warm, dry June weather let growers move through fields with few rain delays, and the state's harvest moved to 80 percent complete by the third week of June, ahead of the five-year average pace.

The short crop tightens regional supplies at a time when wheat prices have already been climbing. Millers and exporters shopping for high-quality protein wheat may find fewer bushels available from the Southern Plains, which could support basis levels at Oklahoma elevators through summer.

For growers who held grain from last year's larger crop, the quality of this year's harvest adds another reason to watch the market. The gap between a short, high-protein crop and steady demand from flour mills could keep cash prices firm into the new marketing year.

Attention now shifts to the 2026 crop. Planting starts in late September and early October, and soil moisture profiles across much of western Oklahoma remain short. Growers will be watching late-summer rainfall closely, since another dry fall would put next season's stands at risk before the first seed goes in the ground.