The latest forecast for Nebraska's winter wheat crop says the expected harvest should beat last year's figure.

In a news release Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted Nebraska farmers will produce 78.2 million bushels of winter wheat this year, based on July 1 conditions.

That's 6 percent above last year's crop and 9 percent higher than last month's projection.

The USDA report says the average yield is expected to reach a record 48 bushels per acre. That would be 3 bushels higher than last month's forecast and 4 bushels higher than last year. The 48 bushels would equal the 1999 record.

Area to be harvested is estimated at 1.63 million acres, about 2 percent less than 2008.