The 2025-2026 Texas wheat season was characterized by drought and heat stress as well as viral and fungal infections across the state, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.
Sporadic rainfall around planting allowed for good and quick establishment in some areas, while drought conditions prevented germination until February in others, said Brandon Gerrish, AgriLife Extension statewide small grains specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Viral diseases such as wheat streak and triticum mosaic viruses also were prevalent across the region later in the season.
Drought and heat stress as well as viral infections plagued wheat in the High Plains. Winter conditions were mild followed by a hot and dry spring with some areas of the Panhandle reaching 100 degrees in late March. April and May brought some rainfall, however, the entire High Plains region remained in moderate to exceptional drought.
While irrigation ensured crop survival, many growers expressed disappointing irrigation responses on wheat. Symptoms of wheat streak mosaic and triticum mosaic viruses appeared in March, with farmers reporting a much higher incidence compared to average seasons.
“Over 90% of the harvest is in, with the only remaining acres in the northern Panhandle,” Gerrish said. “There were many more problems than bright spots this year and yields were lower in just about every area of the state, including irrigated acres in the High Plains.” Gerrish said fields around the Dallas-Fort Worth area supported the best nonirrigated wheat in the state this year, along with a small area near Brady that also performed very well.
“Even areas with decent fall precipitation began showing drought symptoms by mid-February and much of the dryland wheat acres in the High Plains and Rolling Plains regions failed by the end of a very hot and dry March, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees in some areas,” he said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Texas wheat harvest was estimated to be 89% complete on July 5, with only 35% of the crop reported in fair or better condition.
A total of 1.6 million acres is expected to be harvested for grain. That represents only 29% of the 5.5 million acres planted across the state. This is the lowest harvested acreage in Texas since 1.3 million acres in 2022. The latest crop production report forecast Texas wheat production at 45 million bushels, with an average yield of 28 bushels per acre.
The USDA Risk Management Agency announced the 2026 harvest price for conventional winter wheat in Texas and Oklahoma at $6.28 per bushel, said Mark Welch, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist-grain marketing in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics. That is up from $5.37 per bushel last year.
Recent wheat markets have been paying $5.20 to $5.90 per bushel. This is a drop from the historic highs over $11 per bushel seen following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, but up from last year’s June average Texas cash wheat price of $4.44 per bushel. With higher input prices, especially fertilizer and fuel, tight margins are a persistent concern for wheat growers, Welch said.