Thanks to these innovations, vast expanses of the wheat belt now support commercial production, and yields have resisted the negative impact of insects, diseases, and weeds.
A good season in 2013 meant that many farms recovered, but some farms on the eastern parts of the wheat belt region didn't receive rain and are suffering long-term drought.
The data highlighted the differing fortunes of the states growing soft red winter wheat, which have received ample moisture, and the parched hard red winter wheat belt.
