WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The annual wheat quality tour has found a hard red winter wheat crop plagued by drought, disease and winterkill across vast stretches of Kansas. Participants are expected to announce this (THUR) afternoon their forecast for the size of this year's crop. Its estimate comes after more than 90 participants fanned out across Kansas, trudging through hundreds of wheat fields over three days to come up with yield estimates used to calculate a final production figure. The trade group Kansas Wheat reported that group estimated Wednesday an average yield of 34.5 bushels an acre for its second day. Some of the most drought stricken wheat was in southwestern Kansas where expected yields ranged from 0-18 bushels per acre. That was offset by better fields in the stretch from Dodge City to Wichita.
