Oklahoma Wheat Harvest At 85 Percent Complete

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, got the chance to speak with Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, Mike Schulte about an update on Oklahoma wheat harvest.

After some delays from rain and weather coupled with intense heat and wind for an extended period, harvest is finally coming to a close, Schulte said. Right now, he added, the Oklahoma Wheat Commission today is calling the state 85 percent complete.

"It really was a tough year all the way around due to the drought conditions all over the wheat corridor from southwest Oklahoma up into north-central Oklahoma," Schulte said. "I think producers in a lot of areas are really surprised that the yields are doing a little better than they anticipated."

If everything goes as planned, Schulte said the Oklahoma Wheat Commission sees wheat harvest being completed before 4th of July Weekend.

Below is an Oklahoma Harvest Report from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission:

Oklahoma Wheat harvest is pretty well wrapped up in parts of Southwest, South Central and Central Oklahoma regions, with harvest moving forward in North Central regions from Pond Creek, to Medford, Tonkawa, Blackwell and Ponca City regions. Harvest is also moving forward in Northeast and at Eastern Oklahoma locations as well as in the Panhandle regions of the state.

Sprout damage being reported in the state from regions hit by heavy rains is accounting for approximately 5 to 10% of the crop. It is important to note much of the crop that has sprout damage is also reporting minimal numbers in that 5 to 7% range. When looking at the averages for blending purposes it seems sprout is not going to be as big an issue as previously thought. Proteins across the state are favorable with averages coming in between 12 to 13% in most places. Yields are ranging all over the board from the low teens to mid-20's in Southwest, Oklahoma.   In South Central Oklahoma, yields being reported from 10 bushels per acre to the mid 30's. Yields in central and Northern Oklahoma are being reported as higher ranging from 15 bushels per acre to as high as 65 bushels per acre. In the Northern tier of the state where yields are better, regions are still looking at averages in the high 20's to mid-30's. It is also important to note several areas in Northwest Oklahoma up by Cherokee and Burlington had severe drought and large portions of that region will not be harvested, which will also have major impact on statewide bushels that are taken in. Test weights have been lowered from Southern Oklahoma to Central Oklahoma, but based on earlier cuttings with higher test weights most locations are still hoping for a 58 bushel per pound average.