Custom harvesters report Kansas wheat is yielding 60 bushels an acre or more, with instances of 90 bushels, as ideal growing weather in late spring helped most of the crop overcome damage from a late season freeze.
“We just cut 70 bushels (per acre) in western Kansas. The test weights are really good. It is really good wheat,” said harvester Sue Holland.
Holland, based in Minnesota, said the past week was hot and humid, with temperatures hitting 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
“It is nice and clean,” harvester Chad Brink, also based in Minnesota, said of wheat near Dighton, Kansas. “It is 60 (bpa) on the low side and 90 the high side.”
Kansas is forecast to harvest 393.6 million bushels of wheat this year, up 22% from 2015, with an average yield of 48 bushels on 6% fewer acres. (Photo: Orientaly/Thinkstock)
Dighton is in west central Kansas and Brink expects to be in Kansas for much of the week. The big crop has Brink expecting a shortage of storage space as harvest advances.
While a big crop may mean lower prices, Brink said the farmers are happy.
“It is fun to see the farmers smile, even with the prices being down,” he said.
Some poorer wheat was found in central Kansas near Bazine, where the crop did not fully recover from the spring freeze. Yields of 50 to 60 bushels were common with test weights of about 55 lbs, said Janel Wolf, a North Dakota based harvester.
USDA on Monday rated Kansas wheat 62% good to excellent, up 1 point from the prior week.
Kansas is forecast to harvest 393.6 million bushels of wheat this year, up 22% from 2015, with an average yield of 48 bushels on 6% fewer acres. Oklahoma is projected to harvest 115.5 million, up 17% from 2015 and Texas 89.6 million, down 16% from 2015.
Related: June 17, 2016 - Wheat Harvest 2016 - Good yields, test weights, in Kansas, Oklahoma
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