Agricultural News
Day One of the Wheat Quality Council Tour Across Kansas Shows Potential for Eye Popping Yields- If Realized
Wed, 02 May 2012 03:37:06 CDT
The optimism runs high in the cars and pickup trucks that are ran westward from Manhattan, Kansas on Tuesday for the 2012 Wheat Quality Council hard red winter wheat tour. First day numbers are way ahead of 2011, which was to be expected after the historic drought that farmers faced a year ago- but these numbers from day one are also five bushels higher than any other year ever seen on the tour. One veteran wheat scout believes that the disease that was seen across central kansas simply was not adequately accounted for- and he questioned the head count formula being used. He concludes- take the number optimistic numbers with a grain of salt. Tour organizer Ben Handcock adds that "our number is probably a little high" and the general concensus of those who have been on multiple crop tours that this looks like a solidly "above average crop" but not a record breaker.
Debbie Wedel, on staff at the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, is traveling along one of the Kansas routes- and offered some observations to us on Tuesday evening- you can hear her comments by clicking on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this story.
The following report was released from the Kansas City Board of Trade on Tuesday evening- from the viewpoint of one of the scouts from the KCBT, Deb Bollman.
After the first day of the tour, Kansas average yield was estimated at 53.6 bushels per acre. This estimate is 13.6 more bushels per acre than last year's day 1 estimate of 40.0 bushels per acre.
The Kansas wheat crop is estimated to be ahead in maturity and well ahead of avearge production stages after the first day of touring. While the wheat crop currently looks good for the central to upper third of the state, there is still a significant amount of disease present after today's observations. Drought stress is also evident further west in the state.
Disease was present in the representations of stripe rust seen by most of the participants in the morning and in the eastern tier of the state out of Manhattan, KS. About 100 crop tour participants embarked on Monday along six different routes and in 21 cars. While the crop was tall, adequate in moisture and mostly in the headed development stage, disease was present. Stripe rust, barley yellow dwarf, wheat streak mosaic, and smut were evident. After moving through central Kansas, the crop looks more dry. Timely rains are crucial to crop development, that is estimated to be at a larger number this year by the bushels per acre reported on day one of the tour.
Deb Bollman's car was on the black route, or what would entail US 56 West across most of the central area of the state, and then State Highway 96, west of Great Bend. The largest yield was estimated in Dickinson County, with the group estimating a field at 90.9 bushels per acre for the high and the lowest yield at 38 bushels per acre in Rush County. Stripe rust was evident between Geary and Barton counties, along with some barley yellow dwarf in Marion County. Drought stress became evident from Barton County through Graham counties. Moisture is needed for the crop to progress and be above average. Her car gave an eyeball yield of 55 bushels per acre and an estimated yield of 60 bushels per acre.
Area 1(Northwest and north central Kansas/southern Nebraska)
Counties: Riley, Cloud, Republic, Thayer, Knox, Webster, Franklin, Harlan, Nuckolls, Phillips, Norton, Decatur, Sheridan, Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 24.0 to 120.0 bushels with the average being 52.1 bushels.
Area 2 (Kansas)
Counties: Riley, Clay, Washington, Republic, Jewell, Smith, Phillips, Norton, Decatur, Rawlins, Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 21.0 to 108.0 bushels with the average being 54.1 bushels.
Area 3 (Kansas)
Riley, Geary, Dickinson, Saline, Ottawa, Cloud, Mitchell, Osborne, Rooks, Graham, Sheridan, Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 25.0 to 105.0 bushels with the average being 54.7 bushels.
Area 4 (Kansas)
Counties: Riley, Geary, Dickinson, Saline, Ottawa, Lincoln, Russell, Rooks, Graham, Sheridan and Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 23.0 to 81.0 bushels with the average being 51.5 bushels.
Area 5 (Kansas)
Counties: Riley, Geary, Dickinson, Saline, McPherson, Ellsworth, Rice, Barton, Rush, Ellis, Rooks, Graham, Sheridan, Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 22.0 to 92.0 bushels with the average being 54.6 bushels.
Area 6 (Kansas)
Counties: Riley, Geary, Dickinson, Marion, McPherson, Rice, Barton, Rush, Ness, Trego, Graham, Sheridan and Thomas
Yield estimates ranged from 23.0 to 93.0 bushels with the average being 54.9 bushels.
Nebraska
Caroline Brauer with the Nebraska Wheat Board gave a report on the Nebraska wheat crop for 2012. There were 10 to 15 scouts that looked at 40-50 fields. Areas observed included the southern tier of the state, the southwest corner, and the panhandle. Rust and aphids were evident, with 35 to 65 bpa wheat seen in the southern area of the state. Central and south central Nebraska is drier, and the eastern half of the state has some wheat streak mosaic. The panhandle is experiencing drought stress, and the northern area of the panhandle some freeze damage.
Colorado
Colorado scouts also joined the group in Colby with a report. The group made 17 stops, yesterday looking at parts of East Central and Southeast Central Colorado that produce 30% of the wheat for the state. Darrel Hanavan, Executive Director of the Colorado Wheat Association, gave a report from their observations. "An inch of rain was received in the eastern plains of Colorado last Thursday," according to Hanavan. "Using a formula designed for Western Kansas, the numbers that came out for the tour seemed low," Hanavan said. The low yield was 14.5 bushels per acre, and the high was 53.4 bushels per acre, with an average of 33.8 bushels per acre. The five-year average is 38.6 bushels per acre. The Colorado wheat crop is estimated at 88 million bushels , with 95% of the crop planted in hard red winter wheat and 5% in hard white wheat. The crop was also observed to be further headed in more northern regions of the state.
Day Two of the tour leaves Colby on Wednesday morning- works its way south and then back east with a report suppertime stop in Wichita. Oklahoma numbers will be tallied in a Wednesday morning report session at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association in Oklahoma City, with a report of the Oklahoma findings to be provided by Mike Schulte of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission during the Wichita Report Session.
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