This is Day 2 of the 2013 Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas City Board of Trade – a part of the CME Group, the Kansas Grain & Feed Association, the Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

While some wheat farmers wait for fields to dry out in south central Kansas, harvest activity is moving slowly into central Kansas.

Brookville farmer Joe Kejr began harvesting a neighbor’s wheat on Wednesday. Test weight is in the 61 pound range and it is too early to estimate yields. Kejr says much of the area’s wheat still has a green cast to it, but by Monday harvest should be in full swing.

Jonathan Reazan, manager at Mid Kansas Co-op in Galva, says that location started taking in wheat Wednesday night. Test weights averaged around 60 pounds with moisture averaging 14. No farmers have reported any yield s yet and no comparisons can be made to last year’s crop as harvest has just begun.

Oxford farmer Tom Morton started harvesting Wednesday afternoon on a field planted to the variety Everest. Although early, Morton is pleased with the results so far: 13% moisture, 60 pound per bushel test weight and about 50 bushels per acre. Morton said the area was stressed by dry conditions throughout much of the growing season but moisture came late to help the crop finish strong.

Rick Kimbrel, manager of Valley Co-op in Winfield, says although harvest began last week, rain slowed harvest until yesterday. With just 1% of the area’s wheat harvest, early test weights average 60 pounds with a moisture average of 13.8. One early yield report indicates 50 bushels per acre.

With five locations in Sedgwick County, Andale Farmers Co-op had only taken in about 10 loads as of Thursday morning. Protein averages 11.5 and test weights average 58 pounds. Harvest will be in full swing by Friday if the area does not receive any more rain.

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 – part of the CME Group, and the Kansas Grain & Feed Association.

Governor Sam  Brownback kicked off his re-election campaign Thursday with a plea for financial support. Below is a portion of what supporters and others received.

“With your help, we’re turning Kansas around.

Look at all we’ve accomplished together since January 2011—

We turned a $500 million projected deficit into a $500 million cash surplus.

We’ve added more than 25,000 private sector jobs net, achieving one of the twelve lowest unemployment rates in the country.

We’ve gone from the second highest, to the second lowest tax burden in our region—returning over $4 billion in tax cuts over five years to the pockets of Kansas families and businesses.

And we did it all while balancing the budget every year—consolidating agencies, privatizing functions best done outside government and reducing overhead costs.

It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been worth it.

Now is the time to protect and build on our achievements for Kansas.”