May 21, 2004

 

 

US Oklahoma HRW Wheat Harvest Underway Two Weeks Early

 

The annual harvest of hard red winter wheat is underway - beginning nearly two weeks ahead of schedule in southwestern Oklahoma - with maturity of the crop apparently accelerated by disease and weather stress.

 

"The Oklahoma wheat harvest started (Tuesday) with four loads in Frederick and three loads in Walters," said Dr. Kim Anderson, Oklahoma State University farm economist.

 

Anderson said quality of those initial deliveries was very good, with test weights ranging from 60 to 61.8 pounds per bushel, well above the minimum of 58 pounds needed to qualify as USDA Grade #1. Average moisture content ranged from 13.2% to 14.4%, which would allow the grain to be immediately placed into long-term storage, as well.

 

Even so, Anderson cautioned, "elevators are worried about dockage and foreign material," possibly as a result of disease and late-season weather stress produced by highly variable temperatures and rainfall.

 

Farmers throughout Oklahoma - the nation's third-largest wheat-producing state in 2003 - are likely to harvest a week to 10 days early, as well, Dale Fain, consulting agronomist for Johnston Enterprises of Enid, told The Oklahoman.

 

Early harvest is not necessarily a good thing though, he cautioned, since it sometimes means the plant has developed too quickly to fully fill the grain head.

 

"Generally speaking, the earlier the harvest, the poorer the crop," Alva, Okla., farmer Joe Shirley told the newspaper. "Last year, we had the best crop we've ever had. This year's going to be average, at best."

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week that Oklahoma wheat farmers are likely to glean 154.8 million bushels of wheat this season, down 14% from a year ago, but still sufficient to produce about one-sixth of the entire U.S. HRW crop, now estimated at 910 million bushels." The version that ran at 1255 CT (1755 GMT) read "The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week that Oklahoma wheat farmers are likely to glean 154.8 million bushels of wheat this season, down 14% from a year ago, but still sufficient to produce about one-tenth of the entire U.S. HRW crop, now estimated at 910 million bushels.

 

Fain said yields are also being impacted by disease, such as dryland foot rot, which develops as a result of environmental stress and results in wheat heads, which carry little grain.

 

"Probably a third of the Oklahoma wheat crop has it to some extent," he said. "It's going to make some impact on the yield."

 

On average, an acre of Oklahoma wheat is forecast to produce 36 bushels of grain this season, down 3 bushels from 2003.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture currently places 7% of all Oklahoma wheat in excellent condition; 44% in good condition; 33% in fair condition; and 16% in poor to very poor condition.

 

The number of acres slated to be harvested for grain is projected at 4.3 million acres, down 300,000 from 2003.