50 to 60 bushels per acre reported
Staff writer
Moist cool weather in May gave hope for a higher count in Marion County’s wheat harvest, but with most fields cut, the numbers are about average for the county, Cooperative Grain and Supply grain coordinator Dick Tippin said.
“We’re at about 2,400,000 bushel between all our locations,” Tippin said Thursday. “That’s right about average.”
Hillsboro’s elevator took in about 840,000 bushels, Marion had 760,000, Canton had 400,000, Lehigh had 230,000, and Canada had 185,000.
Tippin said the heads of wheat seemed to have filled out well, even though there were many thin stands.
Most farmers brought in about 50 to 60 bushels per acre. Test weights averaged 59 pounds per bushel, and protein levels good.
In northern parts of the county, Stan Utting, general manager for Agro Producers, said harvest is about 95 percent complete.
“The crops look very average in general,” Utting said. “We’re getting 40 to 70 bushels per acre and test weights are around 58 to 60 pounds per bushel.”
Lincolnville brought in about 800,000 bushels, Tampa had 600,000, and Durham had 500,000.
Utting also said there was also notable weed dockage.
Gen Kobylak, location manager for Mid Kansas Coop Association at Burns, said weeds were an issue, too.
“We’re a little high on dockage,” Kobylak said. “They had a chance to grow as tall as or taller than some of the wheat.”
However, at about 190,000 bushels at his location, harvest is about average, too.
“Our 5-year average is 193,000, but last year we only took on 174,000,” he said. “Test weight has been between 50 and 60 pounds per bushel.”
He said the rain affected bushel per acre in his area.
“Some guys had 30 bushels per acre, others had 80 per acre,” he said. “Really we’ve had everything in between.”
Mid-Kansas Cooperative Association locations in Peabody and Florence did not report specific harvest numbers.
In Peabody, location manager Phil Timken echoed Kobylak. He said yields were about 20 to 80 bushels per acre.
“There’s been big variation,” Timken said. “Some guys had a lot of fungus in their crops, but I think it has been a better than average crop.”
In Florence, location service specialist James Bronson said number and quality were close to what Peabody was.
“It’s looking decent,” Bronson said. “Test weights are all over the place, but we haven’t seen much disease. It’s probably going to be an average year.”