This is day 10 of the Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.

With dry weather in northwest Kansas this week, many farmers in the area were finally getting to start harvesting their first fields of the 2019 crop. Yields are above average and while most of the state is seeing below average protein, there are pockets of protein in several areas.

According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Kansas winter wheat production is forecast at 330 million bushels, up 19 percent from last year. Average yield is forecast at 50 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from 2018. Area to be harvested for grain is estimated at 6.60 million acres, down 10 percent from a year ago.

Casey Andersen, a 4th generation farmer in Gove County south of Oakley, reports that his family got started with harvest on July 8, the latest start that he or his dad can remember. 

Yields are above average due to rain and the cool, wet fill period. He said, “It has been an excellent year for wheat.”

He has about two weeks of harvest left, and Oakley CL is a variety that has been performing well on his farm. The main issue they have had this year is some lodging due to the excessive moisture.

Andersen reports test weights of 63-64 pounds on Oakley CL, and proteins ranging from 10.5 to 11.5%.

Jennifer Princ of Midway Coop Association in Luray reports that they took their first load of wheat in on June 26, their latest start since 1996. They are 90-95% complete with harvest in their area. 

She said yields in their area have ranged from 18 to 104, with a strong correlation between planting date and yield. The overall average yield for their farmers is 50-60 bushels per acre. Princ said test weights have averaged 61.2 pounds per bushel, and protein average is 12.04%. 

By Marsha Boswell, Director of Communications

The 2019 Harvest Report is brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. To follow along with harvest updates on Twitter, use #wheatharvest19.

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