Wheat
70 MPH winds swarmed West Texas and the Panhandle Tuesday. It may be the final nail for irrigated winter wheat that was already barely hanging on. The aftermath was evident, with drifts of dirt piled up in ditches.
As much of the Plains thaws out from the winter weather that gripped the country last week, concerns are continuing to sprout about potential damage to winter wheat.
About 73% of the winter wheat crop has been harvested as farmers are accelerating harvest in the north, which has faced major drought impacts.
Hard Red Spring wheat ratings in the good to excellent categories dropped from 20% to 16% this week, compared to a five-year average of 66%.
Blood on dirt and bone over iron. In 1950, Jessie Small jumped on a John Deere combine and drove into the pages of farming history.
An American farming titan, Jessie Small, the king of combines, has passed on, and with him goes a sizable chunk of U.S. historical lore.
Prices have cooled from 14-year highs, but interest remains high for farmers to increase wheat acres or add the crop back to their mix.
Wheat producers rely primarily on public sector research for crop breeding improvements. A new GMO wheat incorporating drought tolerance has been approved for planting in Argentina, but not yet produced for market.
“There are still more questions than answers, but we did get a vessel out the door,” says Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company.
U.S. estimates show global wheat levels are stockpiled at 33% of annual consumption. Gro Intelligence says the world’s numerous economic crises prove government estimates are “not adding up.”