WRIGHT - Wheat farmer Kenny Stein tinkered with a 1981 Gleaner in the middle of the field, the old combine temporarily halted amid a marathon of sorts.

Across the horizon, June fields of golden wheat are scattered - ripe for the cutting. Not far away, two grandsons were helping get the bounty binned, one in a combine and one driving the tractor and grain cart.

On this day, it was a loose bearing that halted the combine. But with family and friends to help, within an hour or two, the machine was back in the field, partaking in the annual Kansas rite.

Wheat harvest is in full swing across the state, typically the top producer in the nation of the grain. Thousands gather to help bring in the crop, which spans 9 million acres.

Yet, as tradition continues across the plains, there is also dismay. In some areas of southwest Kansas, still parched from 2011, this year is another sub-par harvest.

It's not as bad as last year, however, Stein said. His wheat averaged 12 to 15 bushels an acre in 2011.

This year, he figures he will make 25 bushels an acre, maybe 30.

"The test weight has been low, the wheat basically ran out of moisture," he said. "Consequently, our yield is lower, but it is so much better than last year. We at least have a stand this year. We had a really thin stand last year."

Still, he noted, two years of drought "makes it pretty difficult to make ends meet."

Potential for a dry summer

The year started out hopeful after one of the worst droughts since the 1930s Dust Bowl.

A few inches of moisture came during planting time in October, helping farmers get good stands of wheat. Winter brought a nice snow, followed by a few small showers that made conditions better than last year.

Nevertheless, in the past six weeks, rains shut off, said Matt Overturf, grain manager at Skyland Grain based in Johnson in Stanton County.

"Certainly, 30 days ago, 45 days ago, it looked like a nice crop," he said. "Then it hasn't rained since. We are going to be a little below average, but certainly it is better than last year."

Last year a third of the wheat in the Skyland territory was zeroed out, Overturf said. This year a few fields might make 40 or 50 bushels an acre, but most will average 20 to 25 bushels an acre. Quality has been above milling standards, at least, nearing the 60-pound range, or No. 1-grade wheat.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 71 percent of Kansas is in some type of drought. About 36 percent - largely in the western half of the state, is rated as moderate to severe.

Forecasters don't give an optimistic picture for the summer, either. The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released this week shows drought conditions to persist across three-quarters of the state through August.

Near Minneola, Clark County farmer Luke Jaeger maneuvered a combine through a thin stand of wheat - his family dog following ahead of the machine in search of rabbits. A rain last week left 0.30 of an inch of moisture, but "when it is this dry, it doesn't help much," he said.

"Everyone is worried about another year of drought," he said. "We got an inch of rain to plant wheat in October and that has been it. ... We just didn't have any soil moisture because it was just so bad last summer."

Jaeger, who farms with his brother, Matt, said the family wheat fields are yielding between 15 to 40 bushels an acre. He expects his harvest average to be in the 20-bushel range.

"This is the second worst year on average," he said, adding, "Last year was the worst."

Fall crops are at risk now, which is another fret after last year. His family didn't harvest their 2011 milo crop.

Like any farmer, Jaeger was optimistic things would change - that rain clouds would eventually blow into the area and give the land a reprieve from the drought. And, at least, his wheat crop is not as bad as last year.

However, down the road at the Minneola Co-Op, Manager Dave Strecker said this year's harvest is one of the worst he has experienced. It's even poorer than last year.

"Last year we harvested two-thirds of a crop," Strecker said as he worked the scale at the elevator Wednesday. "This year will be less than that."

Harvest tradition despite yields

Near Wright, despite the below-average crop, a family harvest continues.

And for the Steins, it's a family reunion, something that Kenny Stein looks forward to every year.

"I love it," he said. "My kids come home. My grandkids come and help us. It's kind of a family deal."

Son Pat, who lives nearby, helps every year. Pat's son, Tyler, a University of Kansas student, drives the combine. Another son, Doug, takes vacation from his financial advising job in Salina, bringing with him his son, Ryan, who graduated from KU in May.

Meanwhile, the Steins work alongside neighbor and fellow farmer Kenny Rueb. For the past seven years, both farmers have helped each other get their part of the Kansas crop into the bin. Rueb's son, Kevin, drives one of the combines.

The crew of relatives will be in town for the next five to 10 days to help with the harvest.

"The main thing I like about coming back is that it is kind of the Super Bowl of farming," Doug Stein said. "All the hard work that comes to making that happen comes together in a 10-day time period."

His sisters come back as well, although the early harvest this year caused a few conflicts with schedules. While some help in the field, others are in the kitchen, preparing harvest meals.

"We work hard and we play hard," Doug Stein said. "It's just a fun time to come back. It's the pinnacle of all our hard work and hopefully it pays off, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't."

Ryan Stein, who was driving the tractor and grain cart on this day, said harvest is a unique Kansas experience that he gets to spend with close family.

He recalled his first harvest experience. He and cousin Tyler would help clean and grease the combines then ride around with their fathers and grandpa.

"I get to be out here with my dad, my grandpa, cousins and other family members - it just means a lot," he said. "I know it is something that a lot of people don't get to do."

But Ryan is moving to Charlotte, N.C., later this month for his first job after graduation. He didn't know if he'd have enough vacation to come back for both Christmas and harvest.

"Hopefully," he said, "I won't have to choose."