Oklahoma's wheat harvesters expect a down year

May 14, 2009      The Daily Oklahoman

Debbie Blossom

May 14, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Oklahoma wheat farmers are expecting to harvest about 52 percent less wheat this year than they were able to produce last year.

Estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show this year's winter wheat harvest will be about 80.5 million bushels, state officials said Wednesday. That's a drop from last year's harvest of 166.5 million bushels.

The state's 2009 winter wheat crop, sidelined by a severe, seven-month drought and an early April freeze, will yield an average of 23 bushels an acre from 3.5 million acres, Oklahoma Wheat Commission director Mike Schulte said.

"We're harvesting about a million acres less this year than last year," Schulte said.

The economic impact for the state will probably be half of the $1 billion of revenue generated from the 2008 crop.

"In the southwest part of the state, a lot of the fields have just been abandoned," he said. "Right now is a difficult time for producers."

That's especially true for wheat growers such as Bob Howard, a 62-year-old farmer working 1,700 acres northeast of Altus in southwestern Oklahoma.

"We're devastated in this area," Howard said of the wheat crop. "It's been a very unique year."

Howard said he saw only a trickle of moisture from October until Easter Sunday.

Since then, his fields have had eight inches of rain. Howard is fortunate -- he has insurance -- but "if we harvest 20 percent of our acreage, we'll be lucky," he said.

While the early April freeze received most of the attention for damaging the crop, the drought in the southwest counties was the real story, said Jeff Edwards, a small grains extension specialist with Oklahoma State University.

"The freeze just put it out of its misery," he said. In past years, freeze events were blown out of proportion, "but this year it is the real deal," Edwards said.

The cool, wet weather has helped the plants, particularly in parts of the state where the crop fared better.

"The moisture and overcast days have been helpful; we needed that," he said. "But we're now at a point were we need to see sun and warm weather."

"If this wet weather continues, and the plants lodge, or fall over, that's another potential blow ... the crop could even be worse. We need a break from the rain," Edwards said.

Edwards said 2009 represents the state's smallest crop in the last 50 years.

For many producers, "I do believe it will be a really hard blow," he said.

Newstex ID: 34922331

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