Wheat Harvest Underway
|  Video
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| Retha Colclasure |
| 9/2/2009 |
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| The wheat crop this year looked better than it has in a long time. But until just a few days ago, all that farmers could do was look at it. A wet, cool summer delayed the harvesting season for about three weeks. Now that farmers are finally able to get into their fields, they`re pleased with what they`re finding. Carlyle Hillstrom is harvesting wheat that`s twice as good as it has been in recent years. "They`re real good," Hillstrom says. Best I`ve ever seen. Everything. We`ve had spots where barley`s done better but I know neighbors have had by far the best barley they`ve ever had." Some spots on his wheat field are yielding 80 bushels an acre. His barley was even higher than that. So he`s smiling, while watching his hopper fill up again and again. But what he`s getting in yield, he`s not getting in protein content. And considering the money farmers paid to put this crop in, they need every bit they can get. Prices are lower this year, especially with a lower protein content. But what farmers say they`re not getting in price, they are able to make up with volume. "I think when you sell bushels it still pays for a lot of your inputs and there`s still money left over at the end of the year," says Rick Schmidt, the NDSU Oliver County Extension Agent. In his 15 years as county extension agent, Schmidt says he`s never seen a harvest go this late. "We are about three weeks behind, but I don`t hear anybody complaining about waiting because it`s a crop that`s very worthwhile waiting for," Schmidt says. So despite the date on the calendar, farmers are out working hard to bring the crop in. One disadvantage to harvesting so late is that farmers have fewer hours of daylight to work with. They can`t get started until early afternoon, because the dew on the ground has to dry completely. And the days are quickly getting shorter. |
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