The drought-stricken spring wheat harvest of 2017 now a distant memory,

The drought-stricken spring wheat harvest of 2017 is now a distant memory, as farmers overall reported a decent harvest in 2018. But some did face roadblocks along the way.Farmers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and northwest Minnesota had to wait for the late-spring snow to melt and the ground to thaw, as the calendar days for planting slipped away. On top of that, hail hit some of the spring wheat areas that were hit hard by drought last year, affecting some of the acres that were on tap to produce good yields.In its most recent harvest report on Sept. 7, the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) said that the hard red spring wheat harvest is closing in on completion with mostly dry weather forecast during the last week.According to the report, average protein content is unchanged from last week at 14.7%, not much higher than the 2017 final of 14.6%. Test weight average is 61.7 pounds per bushel (lbs./bu) compared to last year's final average of 61.6 lbs./bu. Falling number average is over 400 seconds, indicating sound wheat. Average vitreous kernel content (DHV) is 90% to make the average grade of the crop at this time No. 1 Dark Northern Spring (1DNS). "Industry sources report that the crop looks very good with strong yields and high protein," added USW.