MGGA Weekly Crop Condition Survey - August 2017
August 1, 2017
Mitch Konen - Teton County
Another week of pre-harvest chores is behind us here on the Greenfields bench and harvest has started with a fervor. Over the weekend into yesterday neighbors where nosing their harvesters into fields to make a start of this year's crop harvest. Most of the peas have been taken as well as the winter wheat. The malt barley crop is just getting started. I will probably start mine by the end of the week after cleaning out a bin of 2016 crop of barley just in time to use it for this year's crop. Storage is going to be an issue for this year's crop as some of last year's crop is still in farm storage. Blood red sunrise this morning from the forest fire smoke and a north wind helping to hold down the temps for a few days is how this day is starting out. Have a safe harvest.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Good; Harvested; 30 (bu/A)
Spring Wheat: Excellent; Soft dough; 70 (bu/A)
Barley: Excellent; Hard dough; 100 (bu/A)
Other Crops: Canola - filling; soybeans-podding; chicks-turning; corn-tasseling
Problems in the Field: Wild oats, kochia, lambsquarter, milk weed; rust in the spring wheat
When will you begin harvest? By the end of the week
Matt Flikkema - Gallatin County
Harvest in full swing in the western part of Gallatin county and in the dryland areas around Three Forks. Yields are very nice in the 30 to 50 bushel range with protein in the 11 to 12 range. Have heard of some as high as 15, with test weights average 60 or better.
Moisture Conditions: Fair
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Spring Wheat: Excellent; Turning; 100 (bu/A)
Barley: Excellent; 70 (bu/A)
Other Crops: Soybeans which are a new crop for this area look good, nice and green with irrigation. Corn is doing very well as long as it can be irrigated, there is corn being raised for grain this year. Canola is still green but losing its leaves, looks very good.
When will you begin harvest? Busy at it, about half done
August 8, 2017
Mitch Konen - Teton County
Harvest is in full swing here. Last week folks were nosing into fields trying to find something to cut only to find it was a little green yet. Monday seemed to be the magical day after a weekend of waiting. The malt barley is ready, pretty much. The peas have been taken and the other pulses are turning along with the spring wheat. It looks to be a drawn out harvest with a variety of crops at different stages. Looks like all crops will have to be stored on-farm as the elevators are full already.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: Spit
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded
Spring Wheat: Excellent; Hard dough; 70 (bu/A)
Barley: Excellent; Ripe; 100 (bu/A)
Other Crops: Canola - still green but progressing, soybeans are coming along nicely, chicks are turning, corn is getting tall
Problems in the Field: Wild oats, kochia, lambsquarter, milk weed
When will you begin harvest? Started barley Monday, another 10 days for wheat and canola
Craig Henke - Liberty County
Some spring wheat still standing, and some barley. Busy trying to cut chickpeas but having time with them to dry down. Don't cut wet chickpeas you will have a fun job of cleaning your concaves. Last watering on canola and spring wheat. Weeds sure growing good in this dry weather. Cool mornings remind us that fall is around the corner, ready for it.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
Just one day left to harvest. It has been a disappointing one, winter wheat made from 28 to 35, peas 6 to 10, barley cc25 to 35 and one field of sf barley made 40. Barley weighed from 36 to 44 pounds, this has to be the year of the firsts. Earliest haying, combining, lightest barley, poorest crop ever cut, and only had to use one grain bin to put the peas in. Hauled ww to the elevator, barley to Bos Terra, a feed lot. The only stop in harvest was one break down and no rain to halt us. Harvest is winding down in the area and should finish up in a week. Hope everybody had a better and safe harvest.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: Zero
Winter Wheat: Poor; Harvested
Barley: Poor; Harvested
When will you begin harvest? The question needs to be when will it rain again?
Robert Bold - Fergus County
Harvest is completed for winter wheat. Average yields were all over the board but much below the last few years. We will be starting spring wheat today. Barley is not yet ready. It is hard to believe that with the wet spring and prevented planting to no rain for May, June, July. However, the climate is changing here. We have our own private Red Headed Turkey Vulcher. They are usually in the dry desert SW. He is doing just fine and appears he needed little to no adapting.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Harvested
Spring Wheat: Ripe
Barley: Ripe
Problems in the Field: Grass Hoppers
Terry Angvick - Sheridan County
Finally got rain over the weekend. Two events, each about a half inch. Little too late for most crops, but will help fill some of the later crops. Also helps reduce fire hazard. Early crops are turning out to be better than expected. Dry peas running 15-20. Most are cut by now. Lentils anywhere from 8-16. A lot of green in lentils. Scattered spots that have no pods. Causes harvest trouble...break cutter bars, etc. Early durum in the 15-20 bu range. Later crops will suffer more and I expect yields to drop significantly. Quite a bit is very spotty and some will be abandoned.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: General rain of about an inch.
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded
Spring Wheat: Poor; Hard dough; 10 (bu/A)
Barley: Not Seeded
Other Crops: See above
Problems in the Field: Very few insect problems; a lot of marestail, prickly lettuce, kochia and Russian thistle; very little disease issues.
When will you begin harvest? Done with peas, working on lentils and early durum now.
Matt Flikkema - Gallatin County
Harvest is in full swing here in the western part of the county, and the irrigated crops are about ready to go. Pea harvest is done around the valley. Winter wheat harvest is as good as done, yields are respectable in the 50 bu area on dryland, proteins all over the board, some very good in the 15 area but I am also hearing some as low as 8 and 9. Barley is being harvested in the dryland, irrigated about to begin. Personally had a stubble fire today because of a probable cigarette butt, no crop burned but be careful out there, it is extremely dry. Fire started right along a dirt road, no one around when we saw smoke.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Harvested
Spring Wheat: Excellent
August 15, 2017
Mitch Konen - Teton County
Harvest has been interrupted by various variables this week. Some quick little showers have slowed the progress of cutting. Mostly only adding up to .15 inches.
Moisture Conditions: Fair
Precipitation the Past Week: .15
Winter Wheat: Harvested
Spring Wheat: Excellent; Hard dough; 80 (bu/A)
Barley: Excellent; Harvested; 100 (bu/A)
Other Crops: Canola - starting to see seed color change, chickpeas are turning, soybeans are setting pods, corn growing, dill is being harvested as it matures
Problems in the Field: Wild oats, kochia, lambsquarter, milk weed
When will you begin harvest? It has begun only to be extended by the variation of crops.
Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
It has been an enjoyable August so far with nice cool temps every night and not too hot in the day time. Harvest is about done except for all the late seeding. Sprayed the summer fallow again and will hope it last to seeding, haha probably not. No rain again last week and beginning to wonder if it will again. Will wash harvest equipment this week and put away for next season. Extremely dry and fire danger has to be at the highest. Be safe.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: Zero
Winter Wheat: Poor; Harvested
Barley: Harvested
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers are starting to show up with nothing for them to eat
Robert Bold - Fergus County
Harvest is about wrapped up here in this area. The winter wheat yields were from the high 30's to mid 40's. Disappointing in comparison to the last 3 harvests of 70 to 90 bushel yields. Everyone is kind of like Greg Mathews and not needing a lot of bins this year. The spring wheat was surprising with yields in many cases at or above the winter wheat yields. Most of the barley is still standing at this time--getting close to ripe. The pulses were a big disappoint this year. Oh well, that is what the lack of growing season precipitation will do for you. We have had about 1.35 inches of rain since May 1st when we should have had almost 9 inches by this time. We got .3 in July and none so far in August. This is not setting up winter wheat seeding. I see weather history people stating that this is the worst drought in 123 years. As my memory goes, this is less rain than in 1988, however, 88 was hotter and we had bad grasshoppers.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers; too dry for even weeds
August 22, 2017
Craig Henke - Liberty County
Harvest is winding down, except for fields of chickpeas that are not drying down very fast even after desiccating 2 times. Finished with irrigated spring wheat, and have canola left to harvest. Second cutting alfalfa off and busy irrigating for 3rd cutting. Mornings are giving signal that fall is coming soon. Will need a wet fall before seeding and winter wheat.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Todd Hansen - Hill County
Harvest is over. Sure could tell where a little shower fell. So on to farm sanitation and preparation for hrw seeding. Yes once again in my neck of the woods HRW is king! And I believe it will always be that way till we get more fall crop options. Have heard of some winter canola going in up here. I will be watching. Stay safe. Let'er RAIN
Problems in the Field: RR kochia. Thinking we may have some marestail showing up
Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
August has been nice on the temps except for two days. The big question is when will it rain? The next question will be about seeding wheat this fall, or if a person can. The ground is hard from the rain last fall and the recrop ground is dust.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: 0
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers are starting to show up and there is nothing for them to eat that is green.
Robert Bold - Fergus County
Harvest for us is over. Started on the 22nd and finished on the 21st. No rain delays this harvest. Spring wheat was the big revenue crop this year here, followed by winter wheat. All the pulses were negative income producers. Oh well--this is still wheat country. Winter wheat is what has made this country here. Winter wheat seeding conditions are terrible. I really question if an inch of rain would be enough to get things softened up and crop started. But we have all seen this before. My dad used to say "seed in the dust and the bins will bust". Then there is other saying "seed in the dust and bins will rust". We'll see what mother sends our way. She sure did a turn around this year. First way too wet to a century record drought. We are going to seed winter wheat whenever we can. Even in October and November. It has worked before.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers; kochia and thistles
August 29, 2017
Craig Henke - Liberty County
Still waiting for chickpeas to dry down. Pulse crop are the thing to have this year on Hi Line. Chickpeas prices are rising every few days. See few getting ready to seed winter wheat, might be year to just dust in. Cracks in gumbo ground getting wider, but don't think could handle Texas rain fall. Some alfalfa cut for 3rd cutting, still busy irrigating ours.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Todd Hansen - Hill County
Still spraying. Still praying.
Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
There is still a few fields in the area to be cut, but everybody else is done harvesting. Got a small shower Wednesday .15 so mother nature has not forgot how to rain. Still need a monster amount to seed this fall as farmers vary in opinion on seeding. Most are wait and see. Hay trucks are everywhere going up and down the highways.
Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: .15
Jim McCabe - Carter County
All wrapped up but little chickpeas, big ones did surprisingly well. Wheat was 20, durum was 20, peas were 20. Rain was .20, still surprise. WW still big question mark, but it's cooler.
Moisture Conditions: Poor