The 2013 harvest continues to roll right along, with wheat harvest inching ever closer to the Nebraska border and mixed yield results throughout Kansas. It was a very hot day in the wheat field on Wednesday across Ellis and Trego County. The Midland Marketing elevator at Toulon told Hays Post that they received well over
60,000 bushels and reported average yields in the high 50s.
The staff at the Golden Belt elevator in Ellis reported that business on Wednesday was inconsistent. Their elevator at Riga, west of Ellis, had a busy day. Terry told Hays Post they received 60-70,000 bushels and that yields varied from the low 20s to 47.
At Cargill in Trego County, Caleb told Hays Post that they were very busy and had received 150-200,000 bushels. Yields were averaging about 35 bushels an acre but that he believed some of the best wheat was still waiting to be cut.
The Offerle Co-op in Bucklin expects to take in about one-third of last year’s below-average crop, according to Levin Benjamin, manager of that location. With harvest about 60% complete so far, protein averages 12.5, test weight averages 58 pounds, and yields range from 5 to 30 bushels per acre, depending upon whether the crop was summer-fallowed or continuous cropped. Much of the wheat in the area was abandoned, Benjamin says.
Wheat harvest is in full swing in Kearny County, where KAWG President Gary Millershaski, has already harvested his best field first. It averaged 28 bushels per acre, with test weight averaging 60 pounds per bushel. He expects the rest of his crop to range from 9 to 24 bushels per acre.
Frank Riedl, general manager of Great Bend Co-op, says the weather has been perfect for harvest, but the wheat has not. Harvest is about halfway complete throughout the cooperative’s seven locations. So far the company has taken in 1.7 million bushels, well short of its 3.8 million bushel average. Test weights company-wide average 58.8 pounds, with protein averaging 12.5. Riedl says yields range from 5 to 13 bushels per acre in drought-stressed fields west of Hwy. 281, to 60 bushels per acre and better east in eastern Barton County.
Oliver Dion, grain merchandiser at Scoular grain in Minneapolis and Ada says farmers were reporting yields greater than 60 bushels per acre until a storm event June 24 dropped 2.5 inches of rain and hail near Minneapolis, delaying harvest until Thursday. Prior to the storm, test weights at both locations were better than 60 pounds per bushel; protein at Minneapolis was 10 and at Ada, 11.5 to 12. Dion says harvest is only about 12% complete in the area.
Southeast Kansas isn’t normally considered wheat country, but Ken Swinney, manager of the Fredonia Co-op Assn. in Fredonia says this is the area’s best wheat harvest in some time. The crop is averaging 50 bushels per acre, test weight is 61.5 pounds per bushel and proteins range from 11 to 11.5. Swinney says the elevator has taken in 600,000 bushels. With the area harvest only about two-thirds complete, the 2013 harvest should far exceed last year’s 700,000 bushel total which was the most in recent memory.
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.