HUTCHINSON, Kan. — If the hot, windy weather hangs on and the rain stays away, the wheat harvest could be wrapped up in the area by the weekend.

Lee Burgess with Central Prairie Coop says some farmers were able to get back into the fields Tuesday after thunderstorms dropped heavy rain this past week.

Burgess says the rain has hurt test weights some, but reports some impressive yield numbers on irrigated land that are running between 70 and 100 bushels per acre. Cutting is in full swing north of Highway 4 in central Kansas.

Most expect the average yield in the area to run between 30 and 40 bushels per acre. This year’s wheat crop was plagued by a cold snap in April, followed by very hot, dry weather in June.