July 10, 2009

Kansas wheat farmers are cutting some of the year's "best wheat" as harvest winds down, although low protein remains a concern in areas, according to growers' group Kansas Wheat.

 

At the St. Francis Mercantile Equity Exchange, in far northwest Kansas, test weights and yields were "unbelievable" on the second big day of harvest, Kansas Wheat said. Many farmers in the area are "thrilled with 100-bushel-per-acre wheat," but other local areas were severely damaged by hail, the report said.

 

"Some northwest Kansas farmers are enjoying the best wheat of their farming careers with yields in excess of 90, even 100 bushels per acre," Kansas Wheat said in the report.

 

Harvest in Sherman County, in northwest Kansas, should wrap up by July 15, although cutting was only about 30 percent complete Wednesday, Kansas Wheat Commissioner Brian Linin said in the report. Test weights and yields are "excellent, but the all-important protein level is below average," he said.

 

In Winona, southwest of Colby, Richard Kvasnicka, director of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, finished cutting Wednesday afternoon, according to Kansas Wheat. It was a better than average harvest, with "good yields and test weights but protein levels below normal," the report said. Much of Logan County is wrapping up harvest, the report said.

 

In Russell County, farmers reported yields of 40 bushels to 50 bushels, with "good" test weights and 11 percent protein, according to the report. Harvest has been finished in the Russell area for several days, it said.

 

"Two months ago the wheat crop looked poor," the report said. "But despite taking in 100,000 bushels less wheat than last year, Agco Inc. in Russell considers this harvest a success."

 

Some irrigated wheat still needs to be cut around Garden City, said Ken Jamieson, manager of the Garden City Co-Op. So far, the elevator has taken in about 13.5 million bushels of wheat throughout its trade area, he said in the report.

 

In its southern division, much of the crop was damaged by hail and yielded in the low 30s, according to the report. The crop had a protein count of 12 percent. In the central division, test weighs averaged 61.5 pounds and yields averaged in the 50s. In the northern division, the average yield was above 60 bushels, with protein content in the two areas coming in about 11 percent, Jamieson said in the report.

 

Kansas is the country's top producer of hard red winter wheat, used to make bread. The US Department of Agriculture said harvest in Kansas was 83 percent complete as of Sunday.

 

Kansas Wheat is the cooperative agreement between the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. The group issues harvest reports throughout the cutting season.