Jenny Burgess of Burgess Hill Farms near Sterling, Kansas, U.S., tweeted that 1 inch of rainfall “helped the fall crops for a little while. It also gave us a much-needed reprieve from the ‘gotta-go-gotta-get-it-done!’ work.”
Kevin Milner, who farms near Narka, Kansas, U.S., close to the Nebraska border tweeted “4 inches is more than we have had in the last three months” along with a photo of water collecting on his property. “The rain drought is over here anyways,” he added Wednesday in a tweet with a photo of his rain gauge full to nearly 3 inches.
Harvest had yet to begin in the Palco, Kansas, U.S., area, where 1½ to 2 inches of rain fell and field samples remained wet, said Anna Luna, location manager from Midland Marketing in Rooks county in north central Kansas.
“Because of the rain, we have had to put off harvest until next week,” Luna said. “Some of our fields are still green and need more time.”
Fields in areas surrounding Palco reportedly have produced 20 to 30 bushels per acre.
Meanwhile, in central Kansas weather continued to hammer the wheat crop, said Shane Eck, location manager of Mid Kansas Coop, which received its first load of wheat on June 2.
“It rained last night, which has put harvest on hold,” Eck told Kansas Wheat. “The late frost and the dry weather on the crop has had a big effect on wheat in the area. It has put a lot of stress on the wheat.”
Harvest was about 95% complete in that part of Kansas between Salina, Hutchinson and Newton. Yields were below average, protein was above average and test weights have been close to 60 pounds per bushel, Eck reported.
“I have heard people talking about yields being anywhere from 10 to 60 bushels per acre,” Eck said. “That’s a wide range to have, but I’ve seen averages around 20 to 30 bushels.”
Kansas temperatures have been cooler following the midweek rains. Kansas State University’s Mesonet weather data team reported Wednesday’s average temperature across the state was 72 degrees, an 8-degree drop-off from Monday, and forecast Thursday at a similar level.
Photos and commentary on #wheatharvest18 in Kansas and other areas can be seen on Twitter.