LANSING, Mich. — The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported Michigan wheat growers harvested a record average of 81 bushels of wheat per acre this year.

The figures were in the Michigan Small Grains Summary dated Sept. 30. Michigan wheat was grown on 510,000 acres, with 475,000 harvested for grain. Wheat production was 38.5 million bushels, up 11 percent from 2014.

The "yield increase is a huge jump for farmers, especially in what first appeared to be a tough year for wheat," said David Milligan, the Cass City-area farmer who chairs the nine-member Michigan Wheat Program board. "Things looked very tough last fall, when farmers were behind in planting wheat and then again in June, when the rain simply would not stop.

"But for most of our wheat farmers, their crop came through the winter in very good shape after a strong fall emergence, favorable conditions during grain fill in June, and then the rains did stop in time as by mid-July the hot, dry conditions absolutely favored finishing off a high-yielding crop."

According to the summary, winter wheat planting finished slightly behind schedule, in early November 2014. In Michigan, winter wheat planting gets underway in September and usually finishes by the end of October. Most of it is harvested in July.

The wheat went into dormancy late last year due to warmer weather, but this was largely good for the crop as it encouraged emergence and there was no snow cover. January and February saw colder temperatures, with adequate snow cover. The wheat broke dormancy on schedule without significant winter damage.

Wheat harvest finished on schedule in mid-August. Although there was a record average yield, there were also extremely high vomitoxin levels in some wheat because of heavy rainfall in June.

According to the report, yield in Michigan compares favorably with the national average. For 2015 the national average was 42.5 bushels an acre, slightly over half the Michigan average. In 2014, the national average was 42.6; in Michigan it was 74. In 2013, the national average was 47.3; in Michigan it was 75.

Other production figures for Michigan from the report include 38.4 million bushels of wheat produced in 2015, 34.7 million bushels in 2014 and 44.2 million bushels in 2013. About 470,000 acres of wheat were harvested in 2014, and 590,000 in 2013.

Also included in the report is information on oats. Michigan producers had an average oat yield of 67 bushels an acre in 2015, a decrease of 2 from last year. Fifty thousand acres of oats were harvested, up 10,000 from 2014. Production was up 21 percent, at 3.35 million bushels.

According to the report, the season started badly with too much wet weather, causing planting to lag behind the five-year average; however, producers had caught up by the end of May. Harvest, too, lagged the five-year average all season, but finally caught up by the end of the second week of September.

For barley, Michigan saw a yield in 2015 of 56 bushels an acre, an increase of 3 from last year. Eleven thousand acres were dedicated to barley, with 6,000 harvested for grain.

While both yield and planted acres increased from 2014, a much lower percentage of the crop was harvested, according to the report. As a result, barley production decreased 21 percent from 2014, for total production of 336,000 bushels.