Grain rolls in from 2003 harvest years ago
By JENNIFER WILSON and ROWENA PLETT
News editor and Staff writer
As temperatures soared near the century mark, the grain trucks kept rolling.
And rolling.
And rolling.
In fact, if you were headed down Ash Street Monday afternoon — be it a northerly or southerly direction — you probably did a few evasive maneuvers around the grain-laden trucks lined along either side.
The 2003 summer harvest is in full swing, and if early indications hold true, it's going to be one of the best Marion County has seen in recent years.
Skyrocketing temperatures plus plenty of wind equaled prime wheat-cutting conditions for Marion County farmers early this week. Monday was the first really big day for many co-ops across the area.
At Cooperative Grain and Supply headquarters in Hillsboro, crop production supervisor Wayne Friesen is happy about what he's seen so far.
"It's going to be a bumper harvest," Friesen said Tuesday.
Farmers are reporting excellent yields, he said. Most are in the 50-bushel an acre range, with some reports heading up into the 90s and 100s.
"I think everybody's pretty happy with their yields," Friesen said.
Weights are strong too, with most averaging around 60 to 61 pounds a bushel. The worst Friesen has seen so far is 57 pounds, and the best is 64.
Moisture has also been low, allowing farmers to cut early in the day and get their grain to the elevators before mid-morning.
The Hillsboro elevator starting getting its first loads last week. As of Monday night, June 23, Hillsboro had taken in 179,000 bushels total. Over the county, Cooperative Grain and Supply has taken in more than 986,000 bushels with its Hillsboro, Lehigh, Marion, Canton, and Canada elevators, Friesen said.
Things were slowed down temporarily at the Hillsboro location, though, when the gear box went out on one of its two "legs," which transport the grain to the top of the elevator. The gear went out Sunday, Friesen said, but was scheduled to be back up by Wednesday.
He estimates that harvest countywide is 15 to 20 percent complete.
Trucks are also pouring into the Agri-Producers site in Durham.
Workers there have been "very busy," with trucks continuing to roll in until midnight, according to Curtis Frick.
Frick hasn't heard any yield numbers yet, he said Tuesday, but test weights are heavy — more than 60 pounds, he said.
Moisture percentage is getting better, Frick said. The wheat was still wet over the weekend, but Monday's rising temperatures and wind dried things out for the farmers.
So far, the Durham elevator has taken in more than 95,000 bushels.
Farmers up in the northern part of the county seem to have started before their southern counterparts, mainly because rainstorms have bounced around to different spots in the county, Frick said.
Over at the Mid-Kansas Co-op in Goessel, harvest has so far been "better than expected," according to location manager Brandon Unruh.
The Goessel elevator has taken in 180,000 bushels so far, he said.
Yields have ranged from 20 to 70 bushels per acre, with 50 being about average. The average weight is about 61 pounds per bushel, and moisture is low, about 13 percent.
Goessel got its first load of grain in on Monday, June 16, but subsequent rain showers slowed things down for a few days, Unruh said. Monday of this week was the elevator's first big day.
Unruh estimates that the area harvest is about half done. It's too early to tell if this will be an outstanding year, but it will probably be pretty close to last year, he said — with some wheat good, some wheat bad.
Elsewhere in Marion County, reports are encouraging.
Bryan Harper, manager at the Florence branch of Mid-Kansas Co-op, said his elevator had taken in 150,118 bushels through Monday. Farmers were reporting yields from 55 to 60 bushels per acre, with a top of 71.
Harper estimates the area harvest to be slightly more than half complete. He expects the elevator to take in about 40 percent more wheat than the previous year.
Harper said elevator operators at the Peabody branch of Mid-Kansas Co-op "have got a smile from ear to ear," because of the good crop. After being slowed by heavy rains, harvesting resumed there. The elevator had taken in 230,000 bushels through Monday, and harvest was not yet at the halfway point.
Mike Thomas, manager of the Marion branch of Cooperative Grain and Supply, reported 335,000 bushels of wheat had been received through Monday.
He said yields are "tremendous," with 70 or more bushels per acre commonly being reported. He estimated harvest to be approaching the halfway mark.
The co-op's headquarters is in Hillsboro.
Perry Gutsch, manager of the Lincolnville branch of Agri Producers, Inc., based at Tampa, reported that harvest is in full swing. He said he has heard a few reports of yields in the 70s.
Stan Utting, Agri Producers manager at Tampa, said harvest has just started in the area. He has heard reports of yields ranging from 45-80 bushels per acre.
