Wheat harvest now in full swing

Jun 16, 2009      Enid News and Eagle

Kevin Hassler

Jun. 16, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Wheat harvest started to pick up in parts of the Enid area Monday, while it continued to go strong in others.

James Wilson, manager of Waukomis Cooperative, said farmers in the area had been cutting for about 10 days. With good weather, they could be finished in another 10, he said.

"Quality is up," he said, with the elevator taking in three loads that measured more than 60 pounds per bushel.

To grade No. 1, and collect a higher price, wheat must have a test weight of at least 60 pounds per bushel, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Most of the wheat brought in has been 58-59 pounds. No. 2 wheat is 58 pounds per bushel, according to USDA.

Yields have varied widely, Wilson said, mostly in the range of 18 to 30 bushels an acre. There have been some isolated higher yields in some fields, he said.

Farther south, Paul Campbell, location manager for Plains Partners in Hennessey, said farmers have had issues with rain slowing them.

"It's finally getting kicked off," he said Monday.

Test weights have ranged from 54 to 59 pounds, he said, although yields, at 30 bushels an acre, have been "better than we were expecting."

At Carrier Mill and Elevator Association, manager Lee Redman said Monday afternoon harvest had just started in the area.

"It had been pretty non-existent until an hour or two ago," he said about 2:30 p.m.

The quality of the first few loads his facility has received is not top quality, running about 58 to 59 pounds per bushel.

"I think the freeze has affected our quality," he said.

He was referring to a freeze April 6-7 that caused widespread damage to the wheat crop across the state. Coupled with a dry winter, the freeze spelled bad news for Oklahoma farmers hoping to match the 2008 harvest.

A significant drought pretty much wiped out the crop in the southwest part of the state. Redman said a dry winter in northwest Oklahoma didn't do the crop any favors.

"The wheat has been stressed all winter," he said.

U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service is forecasting a harvest of 73.5 million bushels of wheat this year, 56 percent below the 166.5 million bushels collected in 2008 when conditions were good.

The NASS figure for this year also puts it significantly below harvest in 2007, when the crop also suffered damage from an April freeze. Statewide production then was just 98 million bushels. That year's crop also was hurt when many farmers weren't able to get combines in their fields because of heavy rain at harvest and a lot of the crop was left in the fields.

In 2006, the wheat crop was devastated by drought and only 81.6 million bushels were harvested statewide.

Newstex ID: 35780495

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