Day 6, Kansas Wheat Harvest Report

This is day 6 of the Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. Harvest Reports will resume on July 7th, weather permitting.

Wheat harvest continues to slowly work northward in Kansas as farmers are racing against Mother Nature while needing to crawl slowly through the remaining fields due to green stems (but ripe heads.) Isolated storms did flare up on Wednesday, but limited rainfall didn’t delay harvest substantially. There are more scattered storms in the forecast again over the weekend and harvest might slow down if the weather pattern shifts back to rains.

Bob Temple, of WindRiver Grain in Garden City, reported that his area is usually wrapping up harvest around this time, but they are running a little behind schedule due to the rain they received this year. On the bright side – they are seeing above average yields and hope to finish harvest closer to the end of next week. Their protein levels have been below average.

Morgan Walls, of Elkhart Coop, is running about two weeks behind in wheat harvest this year. Their protein levels are averaging about 10.5-11 percent and test weights are ranging from 60-64 pounds per bushel. They are seeing above average yields, having 40-60 bushels per acre instead of 20-25 per acre. He is hoping to finish harvest out within the next two weeks.

Justin Ochs, Skyland Grain in Johnson, also reported a two week delay behind a normal harvesting schedule. Ochs said that they may be looking at a 70 bushels per acre average for harvest, but he also pointed out that many farmers in their territory had been ‘hammered by hail’, so that number could have been higher. Test weights are in the mid-60s, but proteins are lower than average (with the exception of a pocket from Eastern Colorado that is right at 12 percent.) He estimates that the area will be cutting for another ten days, depending on if the weather cooperates.

The 2019 Harvest Report is brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. To follow along with harvest updates on Twitter, use #wheatharvest19.

By Peyton Powell, Kansas Wheat Communications Intern