MANDAN, NORTH DAKOTA, US. — Northern Plains farmers are harvesting hard red spring wheat at a brisk pace, and early quality testing points to strong protein levels and favorable milling characteristics.

A hot, dry stretch during the growing season accelerated crop maturity, while mostly cooperative weather during harvest has helped producers make quick progress in the field, said Erica Olson, marketing and research director with the North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC).

“We’ve been pretty lucky that that dryness has just continued into harvest,” Olson said. “So definitely making pretty quick progress.”

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said spring wheat in the six major production states was 62% harvested as of Aug. 23, up from 41% a week earlier and ahead of both last year’s 51% and the five-year average of 52%. The agency rated the crop 51% good-to-excellent, compared with 52% a week earlier and 49% a year ago.

Early harvest results suggest quality could be a bright spot.

US Wheat Associates (USW) released its first harvest report containing spring wheat harvest data on Aug. 19. Based on the first 29 samples analyzed by North Dakota State University’s Hard Red Spring Wheat Quality Laboratory, the crop averaged 15.1% protein, compared with 14.5% a year earlier. Test weight averaged 60.9 pounds per bushel, while falling number averaged 444 seconds versus 386 seconds last year. The average grade was No. 1 dark northern spring wheat versus No. 1 northern spring wheat as the 2025 and recent-five-year-average grades.

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Olson said producer reports largely have supported those findings.

“I have barely heard about harvested wheat with any protein below 14.5%,” she said, noting protein levels commonly have ranged from 14% to 16%.

Harvest progress remains ahead of normal across much of the region. The USDA reported spring wheat harvest completion at 56% in North Dakota, 91% in South Dakota, 78% in Minnesota, 55% in Montana, 68% in Idaho and 69% in Washington.

NDWC said generally favorable weather allowed producers to maintain a strong harvest pace despite scattered rain delays. Yield reports have ranged from slightly below average to moderately above average.

“I’ve had a lot of producers say the yields were way better than I expected,” Olson said, although she cautioned that much of the wheat harvested so far was planted early and that results remain variable across the region.

Recent rainfall in parts of western North Dakota has generated more concern for durum than for spring wheat. Olson said isolated showers are unlikely to cause widespread spring wheat quality problems but could affect durum color and end-use characteristics.

The USDA pegged durum harvest at 45% complete in North Dakota and 50% in Montana by Aug. 23. Yields have ranged from well below average in the most drought-affected areas to near or slightly above average farther north as harvest expands, the NDWC said. Early reports indicate generally good protein levels, though some concerns have surfaced about test weight and vitreous kernel content in rain-affected fields.

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Matt Noltemeyer, associate markets editor for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, covers the wheat and flour markets. Noltemeyer was in writing and editing roles at five Colorado newspapers before joining Sosland Publishing Co. in 2017 and received a journalism degree from Colorado State University and a communications master’s degree from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.

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