Wheat Crop Comments
May 23, 2013
Keep your acreage, weather and crop comments coming in! Use this link to send us your comments about your wheat production and marketing decisions. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.)
Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:
- 5/23 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: Crop adjuster earlier in the week. Released about 25% of the wheat at 1.4 bu.per acre. The balance will go to harvest, barring hail. Wheat acres harvested in this area will be down considerably from the last 2 years. A lot of corn still being planted.
- 5/23 - Richland Parish, La.: We will finish planting beans on Monday. Wheat will be ready to cut in 2 to 3 weeks.
- 5/22 - Montgomery County, Mo.: From Sunday night to Tuesday morning, we got 3.5 inches of rain on newly planted crop. Wheat looking better in spots, yellow and thin where water is standing. Some corn trying to come up. Guys hit it very hard last week. About 60-70 % planted in one week…but replant now in spots?? It’ll be awhile now. Gave safe Memorial weekend with family, pray for Moore, Okla., people.
- 5/22 - Ward County, N.D.: 5.6" of rain fell here from May 16th to May 22nd. One day after wheat planting began. Final plant date on Canola corn and peas May 25th and wheat June 5th. Temps 39 degrees this AM. It will be at least 10 days before drills run again. Rain in the forecast this weekend also. This area has received twice the normal amount of Precipitation. There will be record Prevent plant in "WHEAT COUNTRY" winter wheat seed looks Good. Seed is still in the bin from fall of 2012 when it was too dry to plant.
- 5/20 - Thomas County, Kan.: We have already cut our wheat 3,000+ acres at 1.05-4.5 bu. per acre. All our irrigated corn is in and 80% of our dryland corn, and it went in excellent. We will start milo in 2-3 days. Let's all pray for rain.
- 5/17 - Western Walsh county, northeast North Dakota: Finally got started seeding today...put in 200 acres of peas. Tomorrow we will get rolling on the wheat. Local coop fertilizer plant had one of the biggest days ever. Soil was working real nice today. Hope the rain forecast is wrong.
- 5/17 - Central South Dakota: Spring wheat is all looking above average thus far. 100% done with corn with first planting just starting to poke through, and 50% done with beans. Just started raining and rain forecasted for next 5 days. We could sure use a good 3-inch soaker over that time frame.
- 5/16 - Southwest Kansas: Hot and dry! It's starting to sound like a broken record. It is now official that it is drier here than it was in the thirties. In the last 17 months here, we have received less than 8" of rain. Most of those rains were 0.20" to 0.30" of rain. Thousands of wheat acres are being abandoned out here. What wheat is left is thin and short. I don't know if it will make it if we don't get a rain here quick. Pastures are horrible and many have been chissled to stop them from blowing. We have many insurance farmers though that have planted dryland corn out here. I think something needs to be done about this. Native pastures can't even green up out here and we have guys wanting to plant crop after crop out here that fails. In the thirties they figured out that summerfallow was the one way to raise a crop out here. Now everybody has forgotten that and I believe if it doesn't start raining out here, this next winter is going to look a lot like the thirties again. Why do we never learn from our past?
- 5/16 - Ward County, N.D.: Wheat planting started the 15TH of May now shut down one day later. 4" of rain forecast for out area for the next 5 days. It is getting LATE LATE LATE!!! Wheat yields will be greatly reduced with the late planting here.
- 5/16 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: After two days of 90+ temps, some of the wheat fields are beginning to show some moisture stress. We have another 90 deg. day forecast for later this week. Isolated showers are in the 10 day forecast but usually don't amount to much. With warmer temps spring crop planting will get going within a week. Pray for rain.
- 5/15 - Ward County, N.D.: First day of wheat planting started today. We normally have all of the spring wheat in by the 15th of May. Nothing is planted all around our area. Forecast shows 5 days of rain. Wheat planting is way behind normal.
- 5/13 - Texas: Texas cotton planting intentions may be affected by the replanting to cotton of freeze-damaged wheat acreage, but a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert doesn’t expect the change to be significant on dryland wheat acres. "Most of the shift will occur on irrigated wheat fields lost to late spring freezes in the Rolling Plains and Northern High Plains," said Dr. Gaylon Morgan, AgriLife Extension state cotton specialist, College Station. "The optimum planting window for cotton has passed in South Texas and the Blacklands." However, cotton planting has just begun in the Rolling Plains, South Plains and Panhandle regions, but there are other factors — not the least of which are precipitation expectations — that will limit producers replanting to cotton, he said.
- 5/13 - Corson, S.D.: Half mile visibility yesterday from blowing dirt. Most farmers are canceling their seed corn orders. Spring wheat is coming up but in trouble, only 2" of rain here since July & Aug. of '12'.
- 5/13 - Lincoln County, Mo.: Another 1 inch rain. Nothing planted. Wheat yellowing in standing water areas. Have not seen much sunshine in weeks.
- 5/10 - Lancaster County, Pa.: Full season corn, 66% of acreage, finished 5/7/2013. Some of the best overall soil moisture conditions in my 38 years of planting corn. 33% of acreage in barley and wheat will be double cropped in to additional corn and soybeans. Small grains look healthy, with no signs of disease currently, in spite of cooler and damp conditions. All small grains had one application of fungicide, preparing for second application on wheat. Frost in the forecast for Sunday night. Stay tuned...BE SAFE.
- 5/8 - Huntingdon County, Pa.: All finished planting corn and beans. Sure could use some rain. Hope you guys in the Midwest send us some soon. The wheat is growing but it is not a deep green.
- 5/7 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: Wheat in SW Cheyenne County and N Logan County, Colo., has nonexistent spots and thin spots throughout. Very, very few fields are consistently looking uniformly good. Wheat is at least 3 weeks behind normal. We now have a longer period of hail risk and damage from excessive heat. Looks to be a very interesting summer.
- 5/7 - Grant County, Minn.: Floaters and planters started rolling on select fields on 5/2/13. Wheat, beans, corn and sugarbeets all being planted.
- 5/6 - Montgomery County, Mo.: We've been having cold rain, so no planting. 3.5 inches rain over weekend. drove across state to KC, saw 1 field planted next to I-70, couple more at KC. Can't imagine how they'll get a stand. Heavy snow flattened the wheat. Calling for 60% more rain Thursday. Old saying "when it's tough to get it planted, it'll turned out good." Worked last year. Went in beautiful and turned out horrible. So I guess we got perfect weather after all!!
- 5/6 - Bulgaria: Targovishte wheat is in very good condition. Zaâvaneto is in progress of hybrid sunflower seeds. Rain is not having 25 days, but is very necessary.
- 5/6 - Runnels County, Texas: Our wheat is dry and has some freeze damage, a very poor crop.
- 5/3 - Chicot County, Ark.: Wheat looks good, and the corn looks good, but a little thin in some places. Soybeans look great. We started planting last day in March/first week in April. I have finished planting I got an inch of rain May the first. When I went to get my first bean seeds, my seed dealer told me he was going to dig a hole and put me in it with no cloth on to see how I liked it (referring to the to the bean seeds). But as of today, I have beans about six inches tall.
- 5/2 - Southwest Nebraska: Wheat is poor. Insurance adjuster put my uncle's at 3 bu./ac. and a neighbor had his at 4 bu./ac. It will be destroyed ASAP.
- 5/1 - Lincoln County, Wash.: Only 2.2 inches of moisture the first 4 months of the year! 30+ mile an hour winds the last several days and 16 degrees this morning. The winter wheat has been slowly deteriorating. Temperatures expected in the 80's and no precipitation for the next couple of weeks.
- 5/1 - Oliver County, N.D.: Air seeders are starting to roll in the area. We started this afternoon with spring wheat. Going on sunflower ground and was working nicely. Stubble ground is still pretty wet.
- 4/30 - Gray County, Kan.: Wheat is shot. 22 degrees on April 24 so the wheat is froze out. No corn planted in the area, as there is no heat sink in the soil.
- 4/30 - Audrain County, Mo.: We had another 1 1/2 of rain over weekend. It has been too wet to burn down. No field work done at all. Still trying to get second shot of nitrogen on wheat.
- 4/29 - Northumberland County, Pa.: Planters started Saturday afternoon for a few. Calling for rain showers tomorrow until Tuesday/Wednesday. Depending on how much rain we get everyone will be at it. Wheat looks good everywhere also. Till the end of the week we will start with both beans and corn. Everyone have a safe planting season.
- 4/29 - Targovishte, Bulgaria: Autumn crops is concerned in our district are developing very well. Moisture in the soil there, the weather is warm + 15 + 30 degrees. Low sowing sunflower and maize. We expect many good wheat yields 74-89 bushels/acre.
- 4/29 - Crockett County, Tenn.: Corn 40-50%planted no cotton planted yet. Wheat beginning to head. Fields saturated. First corn planted 4-9 up and 2nd leaf emergence slow raining now and forecasted for more.
- 4/26 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: Yesterday I spent some time on the web looking temperatures and duration of temps below 26 deg. This area where damage to jointed wheat occurred ran from Plainview, TX to Salina, KS. This includes much of the wheat growing area in TX,OK,KS and adjoining areas in CO and NM. This area includes locations that produce easily 1/2 of the HRWWW in the US. From market action either the traders in KC don't believe the damage is potentially as bad as it is or don't know about the freeze.
- 4/26 - Teton County, Mont.: Wheat is starting to grow after two weeks of winter. Some fields are spotty, but warm weather should help.
- 4/25 - Western Walsh County, northeast North Dakota: In answer to Cheyenne County, Neb. question about HRSW beating the frost come fall.....plant early maturing varieties and prayer that Mother Nature gives us time in September to make up for growing season lost in April. All farmers understand we are not in control. God is.
- 4/25 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: Went east to Ogalalla yesterday. Tractors rolling on pivot irrigated corn ground (tillage, not planting). Came back on Highway 30. Wheat either did not emerge, blew out or the winter killed it in eastern Deuel County. Wheat locally is back in dormancy. Not done tillering or jointed yet. Looks like a late harvest this year. Question: With all the snow and cold in the Dakota's and Canadian Prairie provinces, how are they going to get spring wheat to mature before frost because of late planting?
- 4/24 - Talbot County, Md.: Heavy frost on Monday (April 22). We just had 1.5" of rain over weekend. Wheat and barley are losing color due to lack of sun. It is gonna be a late wheat harvest. Some early corn is emerging on sandy soils but the majority are waiting for some warmer weather to plant.
- 4/24 - Dodge County, Wis.: The ground is wet and cold; winter wheat is greening up in certain areas. No alfalfa green shoots except some grasses sprouting up. Small snow banks on the fence lines yet.
- 4/24 - Jefferson County, Ill.: Wheat is looking good in the county, everybody has pretty much got all there nitrogen on and there still trying to spray for grass. I know some people that has worked ground but no planting has happened! We have had a lot of rain in the last month. We had almost 3 inches the 3rd week of April!
- 4/24 - Southeast Kansas: 3 inches of rain in the last week. We are maybe 40% con planted. We were done with corn and early beans by now last year. Pasture is short. Wheat looks good but head is in the boot and weatherman says 29 tonight. Does not look like a good year shaping up. But look at the bright side traders think we’re going to raise bumper crops.
- 4/22 - Ottawa County, Mich.: Some wheat topdressing done 2 weeks ago. Then we had 11 inches of rain in last 7 days. The Grand Rivers is cresting tomorrow (Monday) at record levels. We had snow last Friday. The buds on fruit trees have not even swelled up yet.
- 4/22 - Northwest Saskatchewan: I feel bad your soil down south is too cold to plant. Up here some of us would at least appreciate the snow going so we can complete last fall’s harvest. Our winter started Oct. 20th. and hasn't let up. Forget about Wheat or Durum soon we'll be looking for Radish seed as Barley and Oats is getting scarce.
- 4/22 - Darke County, Ohio: NH3 went on perfect. Then rain started we are wet but missing the large amounts. Fall spraying still holding but fields without will be battling marestail from the start especially if it warms up and stays wet. Hay and wheat are looking good but could use warmer temps today 40 and blustery.
- 4/19 - Wallace County, Kan.: No moisture of any significance, we have been in exceptional drought since last July according to the Drought Monitor. Wheat didn't germinate last fall. The wheat that did come up has been stifled due to the drought, cold temps and wind. It is about done for. Maybe enough to germinate spring crops, but absolutely no subsoil moisture.
- 4/19 - Reno County, Kan.: Kiss the wheat crop goodbye. 24 degrees is tonight’s forecast. The wheat has been jointed for 2 weeks but we had ice on the plants that last freeze. Not the case this time. I measured how tall it was after the last freeze and it was 12 and three fourths inches tall.
- 4/19 - Sumner County, Kan.: Wheat here looks good even after all the ice, today’s high was 40 with strong north winds. Tonight (April 18) its predicted to be 26, not good.
- 4/16 - Northern Utah: Snow flurries again today. It is the middle of April and still cold in northern Utah. Froze again over the weekend for three days. Winter wheat is not growing. Too cold and staying dormant. Most all hard red winter wheat here was planted in dry dirt last fall. Most came up under the winter snow or during snow melt. Wheat is thin and doesn't look good at all.
- 4/16 - Caldwell County, Mo.: Wheat looks real good, we put fertilizer down 12 days ago been wet ever since, planters will roll when we get dry weather, calling for rain all this week.
- 4/15 - Livingston/LaSalle counties, Ill.: Wheat is looking good in this area, except for the small ponds that come and go with frequent rains. Most have applied N in some form or another. Most are applying in multiple trips to spoon feed the crop. No field work as yet other than a few oats seeded over Easter weekend. Soils still too cold and wet!
- 4/15 - Chouteau County, Mont.: It's becoming quite dry here in the Golden Triangle. No significant moisture since mid-January. Winter wheat is starting to show stress from the cold dry conditions. Maybe North Dakota could send a little snow our way!
- 4/12 - Queensland, Australia: Waiting for wheat planting rain. We are quite lucky to have a reasonable profile of moisture. Just to the west of us is none. There will be a lot of the west of the eastern wheat in Australia miss out if there is not big planting 4" plus. Sorghum looks pretty good in this area, BUT area is back a good 50 percent. It must be great having a USDA that knows what is going to happen for next ten years!!!!! Our ABARE is only good for 12 months and even then they stuff it up completely.
- 4/8 - Henry County, Ohio: Wheat topdressing was hit pretty hard this past week in the area. Wheat looks pretty good with warmer temperatures bringing the green up stage along. Fields with more growth show frost burning. Lots of rain predicted for this coming week and it’s just as well to keep someone from doing something they should not be doing as in planting corn.
- 4/5 - Northwestern South Dakota: We are very dry. The area received limited snowfall and there has not been any significant spring moisture as of today. The same statement applies to the southern tier of counties in Southwestern North Dakota. Last season the subsoil moisture in Northwestern SD along with a few timely showers provided a wheat crop for most growers. This year there is virtually no subsoil moisture in Northwest SD. Top soil moisture is needed soon or this area will be as dry as times in the 1950's; 1976 or as in 1980. Pastures like cropland are in dire condition. Dams and ponds are virtually dry holes. I have some chemical fallow which hopefully has enough top soil moisture for the spring wheat crop. Those fields won't survive long. My re-crop acres for wheat are bone-dry. I do not plant to plant any spring wheat on re-crop acres.
- 4/4 - Asotin County, Wash.: Finished planting spring wheat, moisture is good, soil temperature is on the cool side. Our winter wheat is starting to look good.
- 4/2 - Buffalo County, Neb.: I raise irrigated wheat. I watered it 3X after planting into soybean stubble. The field was hit by 70mph winds for 2 days as it was emerging. Bean residue drifted over the side hills and smothered areas out. The field is starting to green up now. The stand is not that great, but I will not destroy it because I plan on seeding cattle feed after harvest. Dryland fields planted last fall are completely barren around here. With no subsoil moisture I am not sure what will be done with those fields. If you are getting rain thank your lucky stars.
- 4/2 - Ingham County, Mich.: It is still cold. We will plant corn and soybeans 50/50. The wheat is still dormant, but looks good considering.
- 4/1 - Chicot County, Ark.: Attached is a video of the hail storm we recently experienced and a photo of the damaged wheat crop. In the video you can hear the hail hitting the windows of our home. The wheat field is located in south Chicot County in southeast Arkansas. It looks about like a freshly cut hayfield now. Thank the Good Lord no one was injured that we know of, but everyone in this neck of the woods has roof, window, and siding damage as well as crop damage.
- 4/1 - Essex County, Ontario: Field work and planting have started on the light ground for potatoes and spring grain. Clover has all been planted in winter wheat. Lots of moisture in the ground for now.
- 4/1 - The Palouse, eastern Washington and Idaho: Fall wheat hit hard by frost last week, setting back an already small stand. Spring wheat going in the ground this week and next. Kind of dry in the top foot.
- 4/1 - Ripon, Wis.: Our wheat is still dormant. Low areas have some ice where the January thaw made small lakes in the hollows. We still have most wheat covered by a blanket of snow.
- 4/1 - Oklahoma: This photo shows Oklahoma State University’s wheat test plots. Concerns about the recent cold snap, but won't know for a couple of days.
