The Kansas Wheat Harvest

It's getting close to that time of year again. This is a picture of the neighbors G Gleaner Diesel cutting wheat just north of me last year.
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It sure isn't going to be a good one around here. There is one field I would be proud of if it were mine. It isn't. The crop adjuster just released some east of the house. Now it is time to start with something new.

There are a couple of fields that look decent but the low swags are bare on both of them. There won't be any pleasant surprises like there were last harvest.

Just read this morning that the estimated wheat yield this year will average 33.7 bpa. It is down 18% from last year.
 
Durum should be ready around here in 2-3 weeks, but sometimes they have to wait for the custom harvesters to come in from somewhere else. Very few farmers here own their own combines anymore.
 
(quoted from post at 14:00:15 05/02/14) Durum should be ready around here in 2-3 weeks, but sometimes they have to wait for the custom harvesters to come in from somewhere else. Very few farmers here own their own combines anymore.

Winter durum? Where is this at? There's a lot of durum grown around here but it's a week or more until it even gets seeded (if the rain and snow finally let up).
 
It's called "Desert Durum" here in AZ. Very popular with some pasta manufacturers; a lot of it is exported to Italy.

For whatever reason, land that was usually planted to cotton was planted to Durum this winter.
 
Notjustair, I was just wondering what you plant in Kansas if your winter wheat crop fails? The winter wheat here NE Wisconsin looks pretty good so far this year. We had lots of snow and no winter kill. But it's still too wet to plant oats or corn. Al
 
It is headed into beans. That's really the best option. Milo isn't in so if the stars align that might be doable. I hate milo anywhere near wheat, though.
 
Roger,whats the lack of moisture and 100 degree temperature today going to do to the wheat..Not that far from Wichita some are saying if it doesnt rain soon their wheat will make less than 10 bushels per acre..

We have only had 3.9" of rain here for the year..Last year at this time we had over 19" of moisture...On May 3rd 2013 we had from 4-7" of snow in this area..This year it was 85 degrees on May 3rd..It will be 91 here today..
 
I farm about 45 minutes north east of dodge city. and it doesn't look very good. all of my wheat should make it through the heat today but it will take most of what it has left. I am afraid if it doesn't rain on Wednesday, our next chance. not very much if any dryland wheat will get harvested in my area.
 
Blaine:
The reports you are getting are correct. It's too late to save an average crop but can still help fill the heads that are there. Today is going to be over 100 degrees with 30+mph south wind. 30% chance of rain Thursday so there are 3 days of this heat to go right at the bloom stage. A good rain will make some 20-25 bu fields but if we miss out on Thursday a majority of the acreage in Southern Kansas will not be harvested at all. Fields that were heavily fertilized in the fall are already dead and not even putting out a head. Here we had a good even stand going into winter but got no rain at all this late winter and all spring.
 
It doesn't look good. If it doesn't rain we will be cutting by the first of June. I think we have enough moisture to make a decent crop. It won't be anything to brag about.
 
well today wasn't the bloodbath I expected. no wind hardly a breath which is not often the case here. it did get hot though I didn't get to look at a thermometer but drove around with my wife and showed her the wheat and it is not good but not as bad as it would have been had we had blast furnace wind. most all of the dryland wheat is turning blue lie you guys said we need that rain on Thursday or its a wash... a dry wash
 
in my part of Kansas it would be grain sorghum-milo or feed sorghum east of me an hour or so they may do beans. If it fails I will probably put in some milo. the old timers say if you cant raise a wheat crop you can raise a milo crop that was the way it happened last year
 

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