June 15 update: 2016 Wheat Harvest is still going great
by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — As the wheat harvest started a week or so ago, farmers and agriculture officials were expecting to find a much better crop than what they had the last couple of years. Now that it is in full swing, they are finding their predictions were correct.
In Sumner County, 35-70 bushels per acre are being reported, which is a lot better than last year when even 20 would have been considered good. The weather cooperated mostly, and recent rains have not hampered progress much. Some fields are still wet, but for the most part farmers are reaping a really good harvest.
Sumner County Extension Agent Randy Hein said test weights are around 62 to 64 pounds per bushel. The benchmark is usually 60 pounds per bushel.
“It sounds like it’s pretty good from what I have heard,” Hein said.
In the upper parts of the state, and to some extent in the west, yields are even better, according to the Kansas Wheat Commission, with patches of 100 bushels per acre being reported.
The good crop is appreciated by those growing wheat, but they are finding prices have fallen.
Prices had averaged about $5 a bushel over the past year. The prices were well over $7 a bushel during the drought years of 2012-13, according to K-State research. This year is even worse. The Agriculture department said prices are as low as $3.60 a bushel in some areas and $4 is common.
Some are holding on to their wheat, hoping prices will rise. If the farmers have a place to store it they can hold out awhile, but if they have to pay for storage, that negates higher prices to some extent.
Hein said the harvest is going smoothly so far, and some are holding off on selling their wheat, hoping for better prices. The harvest is huge, as Kansas is the nation’s top wheat producer, and Sumner County is always at the top of the list of counties producing wheat.
The harvest does not last long though. Hein said people in Sumner County will probably be done in another week to 10 days.
