The June 1 Ag Yield survey indicates the State’s wheat yield was down 2 bushels per acre from the May 1 forecast, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office.

Based on a sample of growers contacted on or about June 1, wheat averaged 48 bushels per acre, 8 bushels less than last year’s record high yield of 56 bushels per acre. The lower yield has been attributed to the above normal rainfall in the wheat belt.

Crop development has been near normal.

In the past month, disease and insect pressure has been on the increase. Harvesting progress was well behind normal due to the wet spring.

Acreage harvested for grain is estimated at 240,000 acres, down 160,000 acres from 2008. Production now is expected to total 11.5 million bushels, down 49 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, the initial forecast for Georgia’s peach production is 32,000 tons, up 4,000 tons from last year, but more than double the production of the freeze damaged crop of 2007. Fruit quality of the crop varied throughout the peach growing areas.

Some operations reported frost damage and disease problems due to the wet spring. Harvest as of June 8 was 21 percent complete, compared with the five-year average of 16 percent.