Kansas wheat harvest report

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This is Day 13 of the 2014 Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain and Feed Association.

Eric Sperber, representative of Cornerstone Ag LLC in Colby, said that the area was at the halfway point for this year’s harvest. His facility has already been receiving wheat for a week, but he hopes that with cooperating weather farmers will be done within the next week. He reported the area’s yields are highly varied this year. Some fields are ranging from 5-10 bushels an acre while others have reaped in about 60 bushels an acre. However, he reports that the overall average will be about 35 bushels an acre. The test weights have dropped from 62 pounds per bushel to around 58-59 pounds per bushel because of the rains. Sperber has reported consistent field insect kernel damage, but overall dockage for the area is down this year. This harvest is shaping up to be an improvement for Colby farmers. “I think we will be up 300-400% this year in comparison to last year. I’m already up 200%. But last year wasn’t hard to beat.”

Bill Burton, a representative of Midland Marketing in Hays, said that their 11 locations have taken in around 4 million bushels of wheat. This year they will be taking in a little less than half a normal crop, Burton estimates. The yields in the Hays area are averaging about 25 bushels an acre and the test weights are in the 58-59 pounds per bushel range. Protein contents have averaged around 13.5%. Burton reports that there are no major dockage issues in the area.

Theron Haresnape, a farmer from Lebanon in Smith County, said that he currently has about 300 acres left and will hopefully be done with two solid days of cutting. His yields are averaging out at around 25 bushels an acre. His test weights for most of his fields were at 62 pounds per bushel, but fell about 4 pounds after the rain. However, his fields closer to the Nebraska border have not seen the test weight drop because they weren’t quite ripe by the time the rains poured. His Everest and SY Wolf varieties have both been very consistent. Haresnape said that this year’s yields will be down from last year’s.

The 2014 Harvest Report is brought to you by Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain and Feed Association.