Agricultural News
Plains Grains' Mark Hodges Says Some Producers Are Reaping the Benefits of Late Spring Moisture
Sat, 18 Jun 2016 16:14:08 CDT
Despite concerns about a lack of rain throughout the first part of the year and then nearly too much rain in late spring, Plains Grains Executive Director Mark Hodges says producers are seeing drastic improvements in their wheat as the Oklahoma harvest continues.
In early May crop scouts were specifically worried about yields in central Oklahoma, but that area seems to be harvesting some of the state's best wheat. Hodges says that says a lot about the importance of timely moisture as the grain begins to fill.
"What it'll show you is how much influence that weather makes from the point at when the crop scouts were out there, which was April or early May, until maturity," he says. "The weather in that timeframe makes a world of difference.
"Really cool moisture, plenty of moisture in the profile and we were protected in most cases from diseases, and so it really allowed that crop to reach maximum yield potential."
Plains Grains is well known for the work they do in sampling the functionalities of wheat. When it comes to test weights, Hodges says this year really depended on your location in the state. The northern half saw "phenomenal" test weights, while late season rains diminished those test weights in southern Oklahoma.
He says the average pounds per bushel was also strong - a good indication to millers about the amount of flour that can be produced. Protein, which Hodges says is the building block for how the flour is going to eventually perform, is measured in both quantity and quality. While the quality looks very good, he says the quantity is actually lower this year because it is diluted across the high test weights.
"What that tells us is that if we can add a little bit of protein to the crop through blending - whether that be as hard red winter wheat harvest moves northward or we have to pull in some spring wheat to add a little more protein to it - we're very encouraged about what that end product can be because it is quality protein we're looking at," Hodges says.
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays recently spoke with Hodges about the 2016 wheat crop, including what things are looking like in Kansas and overall production numbers. Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the complete interview.
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