MGGA Weekly Crop Condition Survey - September 2017



September 5, 2017

Mitch Konen - Teton County

Finally finished up with harvest on my farm. Spring wheat started to come off but ran into green so swathed all the canola for a few days, then back to spring wheat harvest, then picked up the canola. Couldn't have asked for better timing and scheduling. Barley came off earlier with excellent quality and looks like around 125 bu/ac. Spring wheat needs to be tested but spot tests look good with 13 pro or better and close to 100 bu/ac. Canola is going to be around the 65 bu/ac. So all in all it was a good year with the water for irrigation holding us up because the prairie grass is dried up. We still have water running on the Greenfields but will soon run out in the next few days. A lot of ground got post-harvest irrigation to set up for next year with a few acres of winter wheat going to be sown as well. Air quality has been poor with all the fires to the west of us. The nights have been getting chilly so that should help, but nothing will beat a good ole major moisture event...snow! I am ready because I know it wouldn't hang around for long. On to next year planning.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Spring Wheat: Harvested
Barley: Harvested
Other Crops: Canola - Harvested; Soybeans - Filling; Corn - Dent; Chickpeas have been desiccated; Dill - Most has been harvested and distilled
When will you begin harvest? See ya next year.

Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County

The heat is back and do not like it. Smoke is getting old as its been here for a month and a half. Still no moisture, did a little dirt work and there is no moisture in the top 4 feet or more in the pasture. Creek is about dried up and the cows are tired of eating brown, dry grass. Water is starting to be a problem for some as springs are drying up along with creeks. Everybody afraid for the fire potential, bad, bad.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: 0
Winter Wheat: Harvested
Barley: Harvested
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers still getting thicker

Robert Bold - Fergus County

I thought fall was here. The geese have been practice flying in full V formation since July 20th. The earliest ever that I have seen. Elk are bugelling--early. Bow hunters not being deterred by hot weather. Both their problems. Early winter and how to field dress with no spoilage. All the grain is cut here. We are heavy harrowing. Leaving a nice dust mulch--pending some moisture. We may very well be seeding on Halloween. Not the first time. One of the neighbors bought 15 new shanks. He is going to seed on time and not by the conditions. To date, 2017 it rivalling 1907 for the driest year on record. 1988 was bad but apparently this out did 1988. Have a Good Labor Day Weekend!! We are going to the Corn Belt to visit the twins and get accustom to humidity again.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers; it is now even getting too dry for the kochia

 

September 12, 2017

Mitch Konen - Teton County

The 2017 crop year is now just history ready to be entered into the books. We on the Greenfields have prevailed rather well despite the adverse conditions that Mother Nature has thrown at us. Snow pack and the water storage and distribution held up well for all. We did have a few problems which were quickly remedied by the crew at Greenfields Irrigation District. Water was much in demand as we only received 5.62" for the year so far, with most of it coming in April, May and June. July and Aug only received .2" of moisture. We were hot most of the year as well reaching a high of 95 on July 8. The wind was rather nonexistent most of the summer except for a little spell in May when we did have 48 mph winds. Limited to no harvest deliveries to the local elevators has left the farm storage units mostly full. Marketing is the mainstay for the diverse crops that abound. Still need a better program to capture the better prices. Education is still the order of the day. This year seen the most variety of crops on the Greenfields bench. Alfalfa, barley, wheat, spring and winter, canola, dill, chickpeas or garbs, soybeans, corn, and peas. Sounds like did well, but no silver bullets. Winter wheat seeding is getting ramped up with the oncoming weather forecast of rain and snow. Hopefully we will actually have a good start for next year.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded
Other Crops: Corn and soybeans remain in some fields. The soys are turning and dropping leaves, and the corn is denting

Vince Mattson - Liberty County

Average year. WW did good, Chickpeas did less than average, and Lentils were bad.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: 0
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded

Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County

Still have not decided on how much winter wheat I will seed this fall, but cannot get in any hurry because afraid I will get about 20 hundreds, enough to sprout it and then watch it die. No major rain in the long range forecast, bummer. Smoke bad here this morning with visibility about 2-3 miles. Nobody seeding yet around here, but some are talking around the 20th to the 25th. Will have to wait and see. Hope that next year will be a better year as this has been one if not the worst year that I have ever seen. Best to all and may next year be a bumper year with great prices.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: Zero

Robert Bold - Fergus County

Waiting for the rain!! We are going to wait for rain before seeding. Looks like we will be seeding on Halloween. Not the first time. We were in Iowa for Labor Day weekend. In South Dakota we saw a lot of wheat hay bales. We did not see a single field of spring wheat harvested for grain--just baled. The SD winter wheat stubble looked pretty good.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Problems in the Field: Grasshoppers

Boyd Heilig - Fergus County

Got a truckload of seed cleaned yesterday. Hopefully we can get some precip this coming week and can get the summer fallow seeded. Will take a substantial amount of moisture to get any recrop in.

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: 0

Terry Angvick - Sheridan County

Most everyone finished with harvest. Glad it's over! We did receive a rain about 4 weeks ago. Two successive days of about a half inch each. Delayed harvest, but was very different to cut ripe wheat with newly germinated rows of wheat 3-4 inches tall underneath and in bare areas. Finally germinated and grew! If I had to rate overall County yields, I would say 12-15 for durum, 15-18 for peas and 10-12 for lentils. Disappointing to see price drop the last half of August. Manipulation for fall harvest price option?!

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded
Spring Wheat: Poor; Harvested; 10 (bu/A)
Barley: Not Seeded
Other Crops: Peas and lentils discussed above
Problems in the Field: Russian thistle, Kochia, Canada thistle
When will you begin harvest? Done

Alex Smith - Big Horn County

Haven't done a crop survey for months. Just get tied up and then it's past the deadline. WW on fallow in the area was super and benefited from big fall and spring rains. Hearing yields from 50-84 with proteins in the 11's mostly. Spring crops were generally seeded late due to heavy spring rains and then very little rain, drought conditions in the summer. Poor spring crops of any kind. Very dry and waiting for rain. Afraid of a shower to sprout WW and not enough to carry it through fall. Moisture condition needs a new rating instead of poor, also needs "None".

Moisture Conditions: Poor
Precipitation the Past Week: None
Winter Wheat: Not Seeded