Day 7, Kansas Wheat Harvest Report
This is day 7 of the 2015 Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.
From the far east of the state to far west, wheat harvest is seeing two very different cutting conditions due to rainfall during the growing seasons.
On the far east side in Neodesha, Kansas, Nicole Small a farm mom from Wilson County reports that wheat harvest in her area is a sticky situation. All the rain from recent months has caused fields to still be very muddy in her area.
“I am running duals on the combine right now on no till ground so I haven’t been fighting the mud like some of the neighbors have,” said Small.
Small started harvesting a week ago on the June 20, and is currently about 95 percent finished. She reported that her yields have been ranging from very poor to good with some fields yielding approximately 45 bushels per acre.
Her test weights have been averaging lower than average due to the onslaught of rain in the area.
Out in far western Kansas, Matt Overturff from the Skyland Grain Company in Johnson City reported that half to two thirds of the dry land acres are not even getting cut due to the drought in the area. He says that the dry land wheat has been averaging a yield anywhere from 5 to 25 bushels per acre. However, the irrigated wheat that has been cut is in the 60 to 70 bushels per acre range so far.
Test weights have been all over the place says Overturff with a few areas seeing really good quality and other areas north are in the mid 50 pounds per bushel range.
Meeting in the middle, elevator superintendent, Randy Sawatzky for the Mid Kansas Coop located in Buhler, Kansas says that they will probably not take in as much wheat as they did last year. But by the end of the week the elevator will have taken in their five year average total. He also estimates that in his local area they are 85 percent finished with wheat harvest.
Wheat yields for his area have been ranging from 40 to 60 bushels per acre with and average test weight of 59 pounds per bushel.
The 2015 Harvest Report is brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain and Feed Association.
by Audrey Schmitz, Kansas Wheat Communications Intern