# Wheat spread hits one-year high as drought fears grow in US plains

> Hard red winter wheat's premium over soft red wheat reached its widest level in almost a year as heat and drought in the central US stressed Plains fields. Forecasts of further hot, dry weather and record warmth were cited as worsening conditions.

- Date: 2026-03-26 · published 2026-03-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/20220-wheat-spread-hits-one-year-high-as-drought-fears-grow-in-us-plains
- Commodities: [Wheat (HRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/KWHEAT.md), [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md)

## Why it matters

A widening HRW premium signals a weather risk premium on US Plains wheat, raising the cost of wheat-based feed ingredients for buyers.

## Read by commodity

- WHEAT: neutral
- KWHEAT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| KWHEAT | 2023-04-05 | [USA: Wheat Spread Hits Record As Drought Plagues Midwest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/36445-usa-wheat-spread-hits-record-as-drought-plagues-midwest.md) | -1.0% | -5.1% |
| KWHEAT | 2026-06-22 | [After drought and wildfires, wheat farmers in the Great Plains are in for a rough year \| HPPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18863-after-drought-and-wildfires-wheat-farmers-in-the-great-plains-are-in-for-a.md) | -5.1% | +12.4% |
| KWHEAT | 2018-06-19 | [Wheat feels the heat of record low US acres and drought reduced yields - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12353-wheat-feels-the-heat-of-record-low-us-acres-and-drought-reduced-yields-high.md) | -6.0% | -1.8% |
| KWHEAT | 2018-03-13 | [Drought threat intensifies for U.S. Plains winter wheat crop](https://feedsoft.ai/events/66052-drought-threat-intensifies-for-u-s-plains-winter-wheat-crop.md) | -7.6% | +2.5% |
| KWHEAT | 2026-05-07 | [$7 wheat is back as Plains drought slashes crop prospects](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19314-7-wheat-is-back-as-plains-drought-slashes-crop-prospects.md) | +5.7% | -8.2% |
| WHEAT | 2026-03-26 | [Wheat spread reaches seven-month high amid rising US crop concerns](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20226-wheat-spread-reaches-seven-month-high-amid-rising-us-crop-concerns.md) | +0.1% | +1.6% |
| WHEAT | 2023-02-02 | [Drought threatens U.S. wheat production despite acreage bump](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37378-drought-threatens-u-s-wheat-production-despite-acreage-bump.md) | +2.4% | -4.6% |
| WHEAT | 2026-10-15 | [English barley harvest falls to 14-year low as wheat edges higher - Farmers Weekly](https://feedsoft.ai/events/486-english-barley-harvest-falls-to-14-year-low-as-wheat-edges-higher-farmers-weekly.md) | +0.8% | — |

## Sources

- sg.finance.yahoo.com: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/wheat-spread-hits-one-high-051815916.html

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.