Harvest Steady, Not Yet Busy

A truck delivers grain to the Midland Marketing downtown Hays location on Monday evening.

Harvest in the area is not as busy as many expected by this time and there are no custom cutters reported in the region.

However, an employee at Midland Marketing’s Toulon elevator east of Hays told Hays Post last night, “We are filling up pretty fast. We’ve been busy and have taken in more grain than both the Hays and Yocemento elevators. Toulon took in approximately 70,000 bushels on Monday with test weights from 56-61.5 and moisture content from 9.6-11.2.

Midland Marketing’s downtown Hays location was “steady” and they had received just over 18,000 bushels on Monday with test weights averaging 60.

Yocemento, west of Hays reported they were doing better than expected but still slow. They had taken in approximately 24-26,000 bushels on Monday. Test weights were reported from 58-60 and moisture averaged at 11.

In Ellis, the Golden Belt elevator said they were “steady” on Monday with dry wheat and tests weights of 57-62.

The staff at Cargill in Trego County told Hays Post on Monday evening “We really got going at both our WaKeeny and Ogallah locations. We had over 20 trucks deliver wheat. It looks good too with test weights over 60 and we expect to be very busy by Wednesday or Thursday.

About 8% of the Kansas wheat crop has been harvested thus far, according to Kansas Ag Statistics. While farmers in central Kansas are enjoying a better than average harvest so far, farmers in western Kansas are not quite as fortunate.

Matt Overturf with Skyland Grain in Johnson says much of the crop in Stanton and Hamilton counties has already been abandoned due to drought and freeze stress; what’s left is yielding between 5 and 15 bushels per acre. Company-wide, red wheat is averaging 58.8 pounds per bushel; white wheat is 59.7 pounds per bushel but no protein values have been reported. Overturf says he expects the company to take in just 10% of a normal crop.

Darwin Ediger, Meade, planned to finish wheat harvest Monday. It’s been a disappointing crop, with yields ranging from 10 to 20 bushels per acre, with test weights averaging about 58 pounds. About half the wheat in the Meade area was destroyed, making for a dismal harvest.

Paul Weber, manager of the Pride Ag Resources location in Hanston says harvest has been in full swing since last week. So far the location has taken in 100,000 bushels of good wheat, with a 59 pound per bushel test weight average but protein levels averaging about 14. He says it is too early to tell how this year’s crop will compare to previous years.

The crop is doing better near Otis, where Kansas Wheat Commissioner David Radenberg had cut 100 acres before a rain shower Monday morning stopped harvest. He estimates yields in the area will exceed 40 bushels per acre, although test weights vary from 56 to 61 pounds per bushel. Radenberg says there is some lodging in many of the area wheat fields, and some of his crop was hit hard by a hailstorm a few weeks ago.

Ken Wood, KAWG Director from Chapman, began harvesting Sunday afternoon and is pleased with test weights early on; the crop averages about 61 pounds per bushel, but no protein values are available. Although farmers in northern Dickinson County are just starting the harvest, Wood expects the crop to be above average, with early yield results ranging from 55 to 60 bushels per acre.

The 2013 Harvest Report is brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and sponsors Kansas City Board of Trade, and the Kansas Grain & Feed Association.