As of June 2nd the Drought Monitor reports no changes from last week for western Kansas and in spite of the heat the area is not even listed as abnormally dry. However, much of Southeast Kansas and Northeast Kansas along the Nebraska border is entering abnormally dry status. Without rainfall, even with cooler temperatures forecasted for this week, soil moisture status will deteriorate. Many have noticed stressed plants, even without dry soil conditions and this is due to the wind and high temperatures making it difficult for plants to move enough water throughout the plant so they are wilting as a defense mechanism during the heat of the day. The six to ten-day outlook (June 29 to July 3) indicates well below normal temperatures and normal to below normal precipitation for our area. The eight to 14 day outlook (July 1 to July 7) indicates below normal temperatures and normal to slightly above normal precipitation.
Unless you are totally out of touch, you have read, heard, or seen reports on all types of media about wheat harvest. They discuss the harvest using terms ranging from bushels per acre and test weight to protein content. This may be old hat to some but for many what do these terms actually mean, especially in terms of a producers bottom line?
• Yield in bushels per acre is the easiest to understand or is it? An acre is 43,560 square feet, about the size of a football field. We think of bushels as a weight but really a bushel is a volume. A bushel is equal to eight dry gallons or four pecks. We have changed it now into a unit of mass (weight) over centuries. There are standard bushel weights for various crops. For hard red winter wheat (HRWW), a bushel means 60 pounds which leads to the next term.
• Test weight in pounds per bushel is a standard used for most grain crops. It’s an indication of deed quality. For weight, test weight per bushel should be a minimum of 60 pounds. Above that standard, grain buyers are happy but producers won’t see a premium for the price. Below that standard, producers are typically docked, penalized, for low test weight. A handy way to think of test weight is how “heavy” the grain/seed is for a given volume, a bushel. It tells you how dense the grain is.
• Grain moisture – expressed as a percentage this tells you how “wet” the grain is. This isn’t a direct quality factor but it matters for two reasons. Grain that is too wet is hard to keep in condition, i.e. it is subject to spoiling. To be properly stored wet grain must have air blown through it and depending on air temperatures, the air might need heated which isn’t typically a problem for wheat. When facilities take in grain, wet grain will result in price dockage and the amount depends on how wet it is. Depending on the elevator and how wet the grain is, the facility may refuse to accept the grain. Grain that is too dry, not normally a big issue with wheat, is subject to cracking and damage as it is handled. Less than 13 percentage is ideal and yields are adjusted to a standard moisture.
• Finally protein is measured. This is one area, depending on the year, that a producer can obtain a premium for high protein wheat and dinged for low protein wheat. The standard for HRWW is 12 percent moisture. The protein equates to “hardness” and is important in determining the milling and baking qualities for wheat. There are ways to use low protein wheat such as blending with high protein wheat. It is slightly less critical for all-purpose flours as they are a blend of soft and hard wheats.
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
