Exceptional Winter Wheat Quality Help Stretch Short Supply

Wednesday, July 26th 2006, 1:42 pm

By: News On 6

WICHITA (AP) -- Preliminary results from a survey by Kansas State University indicates the winter wheat harvest in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas will be exceptionally good in terms of quality.

High quality wheat will help partially help offset the high cost of flour and lack of supplies from this season's small harvest that's due to an ongoing drought.

The Kansas State wheat quality survey shows high test weights, protein levels and gluten percentages in this year's hard red winter wheat crop. The quality is so high that millers will be able to blend other types of flours that are more abundant to stretch supplies.

Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas produce two-thirds of the nation's hard red winter wheat which is used for making bread and other baked goods.