Kansas Wheat Tour Finds Most Fields Maturing Early

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Participants in the annual Kansas winter wheat tour observed drought-stressed wheat fields Wednesday in southwestern counties, one day after surveying potentially record yields in the northern part of the state.

This week's tour, which includes agriculture leaders and others from the industry, has found most wheat crops are ripening two to three weeks early through the state.

Aaron Harries, marketing director for the trade group Kansas Wheat, said Wednesday in a phone interview from Comanche County that members are getting a fuller picture of the drought's effects in region stretching from southwest Kansas up through Garden City and over toward the Great Bend and Hoisington area.

"The dryland fields, most of them showed serious signs of drought stress," Harries said. "They really need rain probably within the next seven days or you are going to see probably a very dramatic yield loss."

Fields in that dry region are expected to yield 20 to 40 bushels per acre, a contrast he likened to "day and night" when compared to the average estimate of 53.6 bushels for fields in northern Kansas examined a day earlier.

"The ground is wet, they received some rain in southwest Kansas," Harries said. "There is some topsoil moisture, which may help for a few days, give it a little bit more life."

Meanwhile. the unseasonable heat is hastening the ripening of the crop.

The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service estimated on Monday that 74 percent of the wheat in the state had already headed. Normally, just 7 percent of the Kansas wheat is headed by this time of the year.

Tour participants found a wheat field about 10 miles from Ashland in Comanche County that was already turning color and was probably only three weeks away from harvest.

Because the winter wheat is so far along already, this year's wheat tour estimate is expected to be able to more accurately forecast the state's total winter wheat production.

KASS on Monday rated 13 percent of the crop as excellent and 49 percent as good. Another 30 percent was in fair condition, with 8 percent in poor to very poor condition.

As the tour nears south-central Kansas, which has had abundant moisture, participants will be looking for damage from severe storms that have hit the area

The tour concludes Thursday at the Kansas City Board of Trade, where the group will offer their forecast of the size of Kansas winter wheat crop after commodity markets close.

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Comments

[HHUA]

12:13 PM on 05/03/2012

And so it begins...

Well, actually it 'began' a LONG time ago but the "deniers" will now see (and 'feel') the effects that those of us with SENSE already knew were imminent.

Gee let's see, "scientists"... "Rush"..."scientists... "Rush"? That should be a NO BRAINER (especially since "Rush" is a "no brainer")!!!

Enjoy the rise of food prices deniers!!!

[pasanby]

10:24 AM on 05/05/2012

U.S. wheat futures tumbled 4.2% Wednesday on reports from Kansas that point to larger-than-expected harvests of key variety of the grain. And you think this is a bad thing ?

[HHUA]

12:27 PM on 05/05/2012

That's only the calm before the storm (or should I say 'the grain before the drought'). Pointing to a higher than average harvest as evidence of nothing to be concerned about is like pointing to a snow blizzard as evidence that there is no global warming. In fact, climate change IS happening (leading to an overall warming and thawing) but as predicted by scientists years ago is affected through 'swings' as the planet attempts to adjust. This "early harvest" is just one example of one such swing and we can expect more and more unusual occurrences (including severe storm and tornado activity). The eventual outcome however, will be severe heat and drought conditions in areas that provide our greatest sources of food. Think the drought that's happening in Africa can't happen here?

Enjoy your "cheap" bread and cereal while you can!