The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 21, 2009

As wheat harvest winds down, some area yields better than forecasts

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer

Harvest is nearing an end in many areas around Enid and while it won’t be a good year, yields and test weights are higher than originally believed.

Harvest has been pretty good for Lee Redman at Carrier Mill & Elevator.

“We’re about three-quarters done. The little showers yesterday (Saturday) slowed us down for the weekend, but by the end of the week we should be done,” Redman said.

His customers generally have been pleasantly surprised with yields and the test weights at 59 and 60 have been good. Test weight of at least 60 pounds per bushel is number one grade wheat. Weight of 58 is a number two grade. Redman said the weights have been high in the Carrier area. He said not many producers graze wheat and tend to plant later so their wheat was not as high as earlier wheat when the last freeze came. That freeze is blamed for damaging much of the wheat in Oklahoma.

Redman also said he is hearing yields as high as 35-40 bushels per acre, while some also are coming in about 25 bushels per acre.

“That’s quite a range and it depends on variety, when it was planted and what stage it was in when the freeze came in,” he said.

At Garber Co-op, Rick Weathers said harvest still is ongoing, but wheat is below average and not very good. Test weights are ranging from 57 to 58 pounds per acre. Yields are ranging as low as 10 to 15 bushels per acre, but some producers had 40 bushel yields. Most are about 20 bushels, he said.

“If it was planted later it is doing better than earlier wheat, he said. “The weather yesterday messed things up here, and I don’t know if we’ll get anything done today (Sunday) or not,” he said.

There was no answer to calls to several other area grain elevators Sunday afternoon.

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