The National Agricultural Statistics Service is forecasting that the nation’s winter wheat crop will be up 7 percent this year.

Their official production estimate of 1.47 billion bushels released Tuesday is based on average yield forecast of 43.5 bushels per acre.

For Kansas, the agency estimated the state will bring in 272 million bushels of winter wheat. That is up from the 246.4 million bushels cut during last year’s drought-plagued season.

But the government’s initial forecast is less optimistic than the 288.5 million bushels estimated by participants in last week’s wheat tour.

NASS is forecasting the average Kansas yield at 32 bushels an acre.

Their estimate for the nation’s hard red winter wheat crop is up 16 percent to 853 million bushels. Kansas grows mostly hard red winter wheat.