USDA forecasts 2018/19 Russia wheat production at 68.5 million metric tons (mmt), down 3.5 mmt from last month and down 16.5 mmt from last year’s record crop. USDA crop production estimates for Russia exclude estimated output from Crimea. The forecast yield of 2.74 tons per hectare is second only to last year’s record. In Russia, winter wheat accounts for about 70 percent of total wheat production and spring wheat accounts for about 30 percent. The estimated harvested area has been decreased from 26.0 to 25.0 million hectares (mha) based on reports from the Ministry of Agriculture indicating significant sowing delays in the Siberian District of Russia, which is the country’s largest producer of spring wheat. Planting is typically complete, or nearly complete, by the second week of June. This year, however, the Siberian sowing campaign was only about 76 percent complete as of June 6, and final area is unlikely to reach the Ministry forecast of 5.9 mha. If subsequent planting in the Siberian District follows the course of the 2013 sowing campaign, which was also marked by early delays followed by rapid early- June planting, wheat area could reach roughly 4.7 mha.(For more information, please contact Mark.Lindeman@fas.usda.gov.)