Walking fields still best way to gauge wheat production

(Undated-AP) -- Barring mishaps from Mother Nature, Oklahoma wheat is looking good for this year's harvest. <br><br>Roger Gribble is the Oklahoma State University northwest area agronomist. <br><br>Gribble

Tuesday, May 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Undated-AP) -- Barring mishaps from Mother Nature, Oklahoma wheat is looking good for this year's harvest.

Roger Gribble is the Oklahoma State University northwest area agronomist.

Gribble drove to six wheat fields in central and southwestern Oklahoma to walk through the fields and get an idea of what the wheat crop might be like.

The wheat tour gives grain elevators operators and producers an unofficial estimate of the soon-to-be harvested wheat crop.

The largest crop in state history was close to 170 million bushels according to the U-S Department of Agriculture.

Gribble says based on findings of the crop tour -- there's a lot of 30 bushel acres out there. And the state estimate could come in somewhere between 135 and 170 million bushels.

The U-S-D-A's forecast for the nation and individual states' wheat crops is scheduled for release on May 12th.