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Wheat harvest behind scheduleBy Andrea Stegman While some wheat suffers from lack of moisture, disease, insects, excessive rain, and frost, most wheat producers are just eager to get their crops out of the field no matter what the circumstances. Everywhere, farmers are dealing with wheat crops that are one to two weeks behind schedule because of the wet and cool weather. On June 3, the Texas Agricultural Statistics Service reported that only 10 percent of wheat was harvested, down 16 percent for the five-year average. Twenty-four percent is rated excellent, 43 percent good, 24 percent fair, 7 percent poor, and 2 percent very poor. In late May, it was reported that crop acreage continued to be damaged or lost due to strong winds, hail storms, and water erosion. The Blacklands received a plentiful amount of moisture, causing sprouting in heads and an increase in black-point disease infections. South Central Texas reported average to below average yields due to the late season freeze and an increase in disease pressure. It seems that while some parts of Oklahoma and Kansas are facing some serious problems with their wheat harvest, other areas seem to be doing quite well. Western Oklahoma for example, will pick up speed as locations dry out with temperatures up into the 90s and should expect a decent crop. However, according to the Oklahoma Farm News Update, some wheat may not be harvestable in the area south of Lawton in the Walters-Grandfield area due to excessive moisture. Also, there have been reports of wheat falling over from weakened straw caused by dry weather, leaf rust, and in some cases, greenbugs. A major concern in Oklahoma is head discoloration this late in the season. Bob Hunger, Oklahoma State University Extension plant pathologist reported in the OSU Newsletter that this is due to infection by fungus, bacteria and a reaction to general stress. He said the most likely cause of head discoloration in Oklahoma was black chaff. Hunger reported that the biggest effect from the black chaff will most likely be shriveling of seed and lowering of test weight. He strongly recommends that growers do not replant seed that has been infected with severe head discoloration. Producers can visit www.wheat.okstate.edu for more information on black chaff. The Oklahoma Agricultural Statistics Service reported that as of June 3, 15 percent of the wheat crop is rated excellent, 45 percent good, 23 percent fair, 10 percent poor, and 7 percent very poor. Only 3 percent is progress harvested, compared to the five-year average of 23 percent. It was also reported on June 4 that 95 percent of wheat had reached the soft dough stage of development, one percent was below the five-year average. Western Kansas also has high hopes for their 2007 wheat crop. So far they haven't had any major problems that would severely affect their wheat and have been able to avoid problems that central Kansas is dealing with, such as flooding and army cutworms. As long as western Kansas can avoid unexpected weather, such as hail, their harvest should be the best they've seen in years. The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported on June 4 that 36 percent of the wheat has turned, compared to 75 percent last year and 58 percent for the five-year average. Insect infestation reports indicate 61 percent of the wheat showed no infestation, 26 percent showed slight infestation, 10 percent showed moderate infestation, and 3 percent showed severe infestation. As of June 3, the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service also reported that 8 percent of the state's wheat is rated excellent. Another 25 percent is good, while 32 percent is rated fair, 21 percent poor and 14 percent very poor. Last year at this time, the wheat crop was only rated 1 percent excellent while very poor was rated 24 percent.
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