COLUMBIA, Mo. – Early results from University of Missouri seed variety testing trials are showing higher-than-average wheat yields in southeastern Missouri, according to Andre Froes de Borja Reis, assistant professor of soybean farming systems and head of MU’s Variety Testing Program for wheat, corn, grain sorghum and soybean.
Will Knuckles, senior research specialist with the program, says two of the three southeastern Missouri trial locations averaged more than 100 bushels per acre—well above the June 11 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service forecast of 72 bushels per acre on 430,000 harvested acres statewide.
Those triple-digit yields also exceed recent regional averages. Farm Credit reports show three-year average wheat yields of 62 bushels per acre on non-irrigated land and 71 bushels per acre on irrigated acreage in southeastern Missouri.
Overall, wheat yields in the region are coming in strong, according to MU Extension agronomists.
Scotty Smothers, in Stoddard County, reports “very good” yields this season.
“Most producers are seeing 80 to 90 bushels per acre, and one grower reported 107 bushels per acre,” Smothers says. “Producers were able to plant early last fall, which allowed good pre-dormancy growth and tillering. Conditions were also favorable for suppressing common wheat diseases.”
Agronomy specialist Anthony Ohmes reports similar yields in Mississippi County and says the outlook for Cape Girardeau County also appears promising.
The MU Variety Testing Program plays a key role in helping growers select wheat varieties best suited to their region, Reis says.
The on-farm testing program is supported by seed companies that submit varieties for evaluation through the MU Division of Plant Sciences and Technology and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
“There is no one-size-fits-all statewide average in Missouri due to the state’s diversity in soil types, irrigation practices and climates,” Reis says.
Each year, researchers replicate small plots of commercial soft red winter wheat varieties across the state to compare performance. Trials also evaluate disease response and applied seed treatments. MU groups varieties by top yield and highlights those that perform within the same statistical margin of error.
“Variety tests are conducted under as uniform conditions as possible,” Knuckles says. “Small plots help reduce the effects of soil and climatic variability, but differences still occur.” He notes that some test locations received as much as 21 inches of rainfall during the growing season, while others received as little as 8.3 inches.
Results from the trials help growers assess the relative performance of many commercial wheat varieties currently available in Missouri. Knuckles emphasizes that the program does not endorse products but instead provides unbiased, research-based information.
Wheat also offers opportunities for double cropping in Missouri rotation systems. Missouri ranks 14th nationally in winter wheat production, with Bootheel counties typically harvesting the highest volumes.
Variety selection is also an important management tool for diseases such as fusarium head blight. The Variety Testing Program complements research on the effectiveness of fungicide treatments for FHB by MU Extension plant pathologist Mandy Bish in 2024 and 2025. For more information, see the MU Integrated Pest Management article Wheat Disease Management.
For more information on the wheat portion of the MU Variety Testing Program, go https://mizzou.us/WheatVT. For questions, email VarietyTesting@missouri.edu.