May 14, 2010

Wheat farmers in some areas in Mexico are expecting an above-average harvest this year.

Rick Ledbetter, who farms near Portales, said he and his neighbours have finished harvesting wheat to use the plant for silage and hay. Farmers expect to harvest wheat in June.

Ledbetter said he harvested about 8 tonnes of silage wheat per acre and 2 1/2 tonnes of wheat hay per acre. There were silage yields up to 12 tonnes an acre and expected others would have gotten higher yields on hay as well.

Not only did the winter snow help the crop, said Dave Sanders, who farms south of Elida, but rain also came in April.

Sanders estimated that he would harvest an above-average 15-20 bushels of grain an acre from his dryland wheat, although he said the price he could get for it was looking weak. For his irrigated wheat hay crop, he harvested about 1 1/2 tonnes an acre, which was good.

Frank Blackburn, who farms northwest of Clovis, grows both irrigated and dryland wheat. He plans to harvest the dryland wheat in early June and the irrigated wheat in mid-June.

Blackburn said he believed 2007 was the last year wheat crops were above average, and Sanders said a good wheat harvest comes about once in five years. Ledbetter said irrigated wheat produces more consistent harvests, but it's more expensive to grow.

The silage wheat in the area goes to dairies, and the wheat hay is for horse and dairy cattle feeds.

Some farmers are still hoping for rain this week because some wheat needs moisture. However, the crop would still be fine even if the precipitation doesn't come.