July 30, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Got the winter wheat cut and in the bin. Twisted vertical auger off in grain tank of the combine so I had to fix that in the 105 degree heat which was a blast. One would think CASE could make something to last more than two oil change intervals. Made a few straw bales out of the winter wheat; if one had a conventional combine there would be more money in baling straw than in growing the crop. Spring crops are all turned now. Barley should be ready by next week then will scoop up what’s left. Will have to bog the mustard, canola, and chickpeas due to hail damage. Durum looks like it will be the last thing to go. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Durum, Barley, Garbanzos, Canola, Mustard, Oats, Hay, and Hay barley were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is harvested. Barley is in the hard dough growth stage. There has been too much heat.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Harvest is in full swing here. Been happy with the yields so far. Test weights are 62-63 pounds. Protein is 10-11. Spring crops are drying up and will probably try the barley this weekend. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
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Fergus/Judith Basin/Wheatland County - Paul Bradley
Crops look good! Spring crops could use another rain, but all in all things look good. Harvest should start in about 2 weeks. Still seeing a lot of green in the winter wheat. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .6 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Barley, and Lentils were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the soft dough growth stage. Starting to see a few grasshoppers but no damage at the moment.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Started harvesting winter wheat last week. Yields are very good. Much above average. Test weight 61 to 63 pounds. Protein 11.7 to 12.9. The rains the last half of June and the cool weather in June made this crop and quality of this crop. It has been a hot July the entire month. That shaved yields off the late seeded crops, spring wheat and barley. The dry April and May made the hay crop below average. With today's lower wheat prices, they are now 58% of a year ago. I see USDA's projected net farm income to be lower than 8 years ago due to a combination of farm prices and crop inputs. I see John Deere and its layoffs in the news again with their new equipment sales down 16 to 31%. Hope everyone has a very bountiful and safe harvest. We have the makings of a bad fire season here in our area. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Spring wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Grasshoppers migrating in on any east wind that comes along. Too late to spray with labelled harvest restrictions.
Gallatin County – Dale Flikkema
Irrigated crops look good. Dry land crops have run out of water and are burning ripe. Harvest on the grain crop is 2-3 weeks away yet. Grass seed finished last week with excellent yield. Moisture conditions have been fair. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, Sunflower, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the hard growth stage.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Harvest is in full swing around here with winter wheat harvest at fifty percent completion. Weather has been hot and windy with cool nights. Blessed with yield and test weight but protein seems to be erratic. Barley and Mustard are still 10 days out. Hope the grain markets can correct the wrong direction it’s been on, and everyone stay safe! Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
The barley is starting to turn white and looks like it will be a little light, spring wheat is starting to turn and looks okay so far as it was in on summer fallow. Boyd started on Friday, combining, and will help him for a while waiting for mine to ripen up. The cool weather is a blessing and feels great. Just need some rain. Sprayed some SF this last weekend and will wait on the rest. Saw Charlie Bumgarner combining last Monday and was the first from home to Great Falls that one could see. A lot more will start this next week. Be safe and best to all. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops progressing nicely even with the reduced irrigation. Dry spots and shallower soils are really showing the stress from lack of water and heat. Barley heads are getting heavy and beginning their turn down to maturity. The irrigated winter wheat is still a week or so away, with the barley to soon follow. The spring has a ways to go but starting to see a color shift in it as well. Area drylanders are beginning to cut winter wheat and should be in a full court press by end of this week. Cut some hay barley over the weekend that should dry fairly fast with the wind and heat. Ditches are filled and prepping machinery for the big dance. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the hard dough growth stage. The heat becomes a deterrent during the day so trying to get outside work done in the AM hours. The smoke is also a deterrent for working outside as it irritates the throat and reduces breathing capacity of the lungs. Wild oats, kochia are present along with knapweed and cheatgrass on the prairie.
July 23, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Finished cutting winter wheat Monday afternoon. Something broke in the unloading auger so by the time we get that fixed the barley will probably be ready to go. Another hot dry week but I will say this, there hasn’t been much wind so have to look out at the bright side somehow. The picture is of tree branches laying in the field, until now I have never had to get out of the combine and move trees to cut wheat. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Durum, Barley, Garbanzos, Canola, Mustard, Oats, Hay, and Hay barley were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is harvested. Barley is in the hard dough growth stage.
Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
The winter wheat is looking very good. The barley may be above average as well. We got 2.4" over the July 4th weekend and it was dry enough that most of if soaked in. Even 2 1/2 weeks later the barley isn't showing any signs of stress. I'm thinking it may have been enough moisture to finish it. The barley just started turning a couple of days ago. Today's guess is for harvest to start on the winter wheat about August 1st. The peas are showing where the sandy soil is with a few yellow patches starting in the field. Mostly they're green. We just got our Weed-It system running this week. We're trying to get the summer fallow sprayed in the few cool hours we have in the mornings. The back of the envelop has it putting down 1.5g/a on average. That should save us 70% on the cost of a full pass. It remains to be seen how the summer fallow looks after this treatment. We are hopeful that it does a good job. Moisture conditions have been good. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Barley, and Peas were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Barley is in the soft dough growth stage.
Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Wheat is variable, with our best to our east and south, and poorer to the west where we had icing conditions in February. No rain from the good storm in early May until .6 in showers around July 4 made for uneven ripening on high ground vs low ground. This delayed our swathing, but we finished that last Saturday. Sunday, we tested the equipment and those first swaths, but didn’t start to seriously bun wheat until today (Monday 7/22). Spring wheat has held on very well, a testament to the MSU breeding program. Spring and winter are generally a good crop. Initial test weights today are light. A good and safe harvest to you. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Sawfly along with cheat and mustard are present at this time.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things are sure turning too fast around here. We should be able to test cut the winter wheat by Friday this week. Yesterday I traveled around with two hail adjusters for the whole day looking at damage from the June 21st storm. Damage ranged from 8-100%. The spring crops are really struggling and it doesn’t look good for any rain in the near future. I hope everyone has a safe harvest season and look forward to hearing some stories from you all. Thank you to everyone that participates in the crop survey. It is very beneficial to hear from all of you in the Montana farming community. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the soft dough growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Well, winter wheat needs a couple more days…19 and 20% moisture. If it was 17% I would put it on air. A couple of 100 degree days will eliminate that job. I see harvest winter wheat prices at the elevator are 60% (futures and basis combined) of last year's harvest price. Even though I don't like the price, I must remember that so often wheat is too pricey for those who need it the most. My price canary is starting to perk up now that Kansas wheat harvest is complete. The funds are record short. Every one of those positions, they need to buy back of or take delivery. Funds don't hold positions long term. With no combines in the field, I see EGT is putting wheat in their outdoor ring (last year's wheat). Getting back to MCPI MP spring wheat insurance, I would like to compliment Boyd, his office team and MGGA for getting winter wheat MP added to MCPI. I know what some of those struggles are when we got Winter Option several decades ago for winter wheat winter kill. We can opt to use, or not, as many or few crop insurance options as appropriate to add income stability to our operations. Hope everyone has a big harvest and with not enough bin space to offset this year's prices. Have a good and safe harvest!! Moisture conditions have been fair. We received .15 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Spring wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. We had 3 days of east wind last week. Guess what? We have hoppers. With the east wind, hoppers migrated in. May have to spray our newly seeded alfalfa. This area's hay crop was just a little below average. Not much haying left to get it all wrapped up. Finish chem fallow tomorrow (7/23) and just broad leaf hot weather weeds are present.
Hill County - Eric Hanson
The calm, hot, and smoky days have stacked up and finally put us in the field. We have had a beautiful full moon and setting suns this last week. We started cutting peas yesterday and will be into winter wheat the minute we get done with them. Full steam ahead with perfect harvest weather. Harvest prep for weeks in the heat has been an exhausting endeavor but we have arrived at AC offices, and thankful for it — 106 forecasted for today (7/24)! Finished most of the mowing of saline and water holes as they are finally dry enough and thick with their bountiful crop of kochia, thistle, and “weed of the year up here” foxtail barley. The spring wheat is changing fast and there will be no break between winter wheat and it like we always dream of. Stay safe, cool, and happy harvesting. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Peas, and Garbanzos were seeded tis growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Hazy sky’s minus the blue lately around here. Began windrowing winter wheat last Thursday and hope to have that finished by mid-week this week. Should start picking windrows tomorrow. The grind of cleaning fallow continues while the barley and mustard ripen. Blessed with a crop but markets do not reflect production costs. Everyone have a safe harvest. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received .15 inches .15 (localized storm on the corn patch only) of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
Too much heat and little to no rain. Did get a little rain on Wednesday, 0.35 inches, but with the hear it did not last. Most of the haying is done in the are with yields all over the place. Custom cutters are going through the area heading north this last week. Spring crops are still taking the hear and losing yield. Maybe by the end of the week may see someone cutting, but for sure next week. Best to all and be safe. Moisture conditions have been poor. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeding this growing year.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are looking good for now. Winter wheat still has some green in it but is maturing. Barley and spring wheat coming along nicely. Wild oats are going to have a detrimental effect overall. Amazing how they survive. A lot of haying still going on in the neighborhood. The last of the water will be used for the recovery of hay ground. I have used up my reduced allotment of water. Irrigation water supply is very minimal at this time. Dryland winter wheat is really close to being ready to cut. I sprayed my dryland chem fallow again as the weeds were getting a little out of hand. Very little moisture has been received from above this summer and the prairies are bone dry. Have a safe and bountiful harvest. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the soft dough growth stage. The heat has been staggering. Wild oats, kochia, and russian thistle are present at this time.
Toole County - Klayton Lohr
The crops are burning up! Planning on August 10th-15th for a start date for harvest. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received .1 inches of precipitation within the last week. Durum was seeded this growing year. Concerned about how hot and muggy it’s been which can lead to hail. Grasshoppers are present along with Round-up ready kochia.
July 16, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Well, we really needed moisture and we got some just in the wrong form. Hail and 70 mph winds didn’t do the crops any good. Completely destroyed some to just a little damage on others. North of us they lost shops and roofs and bins. Anyway, quite disappointing. Will start combining what’s left of the winter wheat this week. Oh, also forgot to mention that it was 100 degrees for five straight days and looks like the middle of August not July. Moisture conditions have been poor. We received .5 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Durum, Barley, Garbanzos, Canola, Mustard, Oats, Hay, and Hay barley were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the ripe growth stage. Barley is in the soft dough growth stage.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
The last week of hot and windy conditions have really pushed the winter wheat crop. We will probably start harvest before the first of August. Spring crops are really stressing and could use one more shot of rain. I hope that everyone that has started to swath and harvest. Have a safe and prosperous one. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Welcome to our current heat dome! Makes for good harvest weather but poor crop finishing weather. This heat is shaving yields off all spring crops. Heat looks to be around for the balance of July and then some. Welcome to $4 wheat. Prices have not been this low since the Covid Crisis 4 years ago. Of course, fuel is still double, fertilizer more than double and machinery 50%+ higher since that same period of time. I am very curious what PLC payments will be for wheat. Also, I wonder what MPCI's MP (Margin Protection) insurance is going to be for the 2024 spring wheat. Won't know that until April 2025. My hat is off to MGGA for their efforts getting Margin Protection crop insurance for winter wheat as well. But it appears that won't happen until the next Farm Bill is passed next spring. But I really do appreciate MGGA's push to get MP insurance for winter wheat. We should be cutting winter wheat by the next crop report. Yields look good for the winter wheat. The spring wheat is holding up very well so far. I don't see any white capping. Hope everyone has a good and safe abundant harvest. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage.
Gallatin County – Dale Flikkema
Crops look good but are going to run out of water if the heat continues. Moisture conditions have been fair. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, and Sunflower were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the soft growth stage. Still too hot.
Hill County - Eric Hanson
Been some sweaty days up here on the hi-line, my Norwegian heritage keeps telling me I need to move further north for cooler weather. We’ve been busy getting everything in ship shape for harvest; killing weeds, roguing oats/rye, and wrenching on harvest equipment. The winter wheat is coming around quickly, and some wind with this heat will expedite that exponentially when it decides to blow. Spring crops are showing the stress of the moisture deficit it’s been in, but humid nights are allowing them to hang in there...for now. It’s been far to long since we had significant moisture, so I think spring crop yields will show this on the monitor. They will finish with what is there. Looking to start harvest in 10-12 days. See you at the 4H livestock sale on Sunday! Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received a few isolated rainstorms within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Peas, and Garbanzos were seeded tis growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Antelope Does are packing around their designer Stanley cups in this heat. Been very warm this past week but did receive .07 inches of precipitation during the night. Barley has really changed color the last couple of days, flowers are gone from the mustard as well. Have yet to start swathing winter wheat yet due to slow ripening. Everyone stay safe and keep the water truck loaded. Moisture conditions have been fair. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
The heat took a big hit to the spring crop this last week. Starting to see the burn spots showing up. The hay really took it this last week. Neighbor broke down and started again 3 days later and one could see the difference. 9 small squares before and 3 after. My hay is almost as bad, had 4 fields I made 4 rounds on and left the rest for Fed Crop to adjust. 425 pounds per acre were their adjustment. I think it was worse than that but will take it. The rest is disappointing as well. Will get the bales stacked on Monday and get the harvest equipment ready the rest of the week. Do not see any harvest till the first of August. The week was disappointing for moisture as only received 0.01. Windham got 0.75 Moccasin over 0.25. No hoppers seen till in the bottom and saw a few. This is a good thing, must have paid to spray them last fall. Best to all and be safe. Moisture conditions have been poor. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage. Need rain and some cool temps and no 90 plus temps.
McCone/Dawson County - Trevor Schock
Crops look very good in this area. With the hotter temps in the last week or so that has been pushing the crops closer to maturity. You can see where some areas will catch a stray shower and those that haven't are showing stress. Overall it looks to be a great crop and hope to get it in the bin. It looks like the peas should be ready to harvest in about 3 weeks with mustard shortly behind that. Spring wheat harvest is still likely over a month away. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .2 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Peas, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Mainly hoping that severe weather stays away. Warm temps with humid air have made lots of strong random storms pop up. Like to get some more rain but just want to avoid the hail and wind and tornadoes (which have all been in the area). Grasshoppers are present but not as bad as the last few years.
Northern Yellowstone/Eastern Stillwater County - Michelle Jones
The last 10 days of heat have really cooked the area. Pasture and range land is suddenly in super tough shape. Winter wheat harvest is fast approaching - within the next 7 days some people will be rolling. Winter wheat has held together decently but I’m also expecting 35-40 bushel yields and 70-75 bushel straw. Spring wheat is looking increasingly tough. Same with the other crops. Hay yields were low or not cut. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received at most .3 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Safflower, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. The heat and dryness are cause for concern. Grasshoppers are present.
Toole County - Klayton Lohr
Crops are hanging on. August 10th start date for harvest. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Durum was seeded this growing year. It has been very hot and dry and kochia weeds are present.
July 10, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Things are running out of moisture quickly. Really needed a good Fourth of July rain and we didn’t get it. Over the three days of showers, we ended up with three tenths which was better than nothing, but not enough to fill in the cracks. Winter wheat is pretty much completely turned. Best guess it’s ready to cut before I am ready to cut it. Still trying to make hay bales. Grass hay is pretty much a disappointment, not wearing out the clutch on the baling tractor by any means in it. Also put some fungicide and foliar fertilizer on the chickpeas. Moisture conditions have been poor. Winter wheat, Durum, Barley, Garbanzos, Canola, Mustard, Oats, Hay, and Hay barley were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage. The heat is a cause for concern.
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Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things still look good around central Montana. Lots of hay going down this week. I think that everyone is worried about the high temps coming the next 10 days and what that will do to the spring crops. Hoping that the wind doesn’t get too bad as well. I would say that harvest will start around the 1st of August here. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .25 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Hope everyone had a good 4th of July holiday. Remember, in England they had to work the 4th--no 4th of July holiday there. Usually the 4th is 95 degrees, 25 mph hot SW wind and 15% humidity. This year was just great. Now with the heat in the forecast, the winter wheat is turning fast. I think winter wheat test weight will be good this year. With this hot weather, may even have some protein. With the almost 1% higher protein average in KS this year, don't expect any protein premiums. June closed out with 80% of average rainfall. The cool June made up for the difference. Had some relatives from the Mid-West here over the weekend. Had to look over old family photos and get updated on family history. Over 100 years ago, there was no penicillin or novocain. 90 years ago was the Great Depression which my parents remember the most due to its hardships. 90 years ago the US had a population of 125 million. Today it's about 380 million, or about 3 times what it was. The world population was 2.1 billion and today 7.8 billion or about 3.5 times what it was. So the growth is about even. However, today, unlike 90 years ago, the US as a country, has the 3rd largest population following only China and India. 90 years ago you could buy a Ford car for $515--with a V8! What horsepower and speed! (Just ask Bonnie and Clyde.) That would be the same as a 600 hp Mustang today. Though quite a bit more than $515. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received .45 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the hard dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the soft dough growth stage.
Gallatin County – Dale Flikkema
Things are looking good. Hopefully we can keep our irrigation water for a couple of weeks. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received .25 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, and Sunflower were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. It will be hot and dry this week which is a concern for us.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
The oven is set to bake and the chuck roasts are drying out! Our home in the town of Rudyard caught 1.73 inches over the past week, with the farm 20 miles north caught zero. The town of Goldstone did catch .5 inches Saturday (7/6) afternoon so 1 field of ww received a drink. WW is slow to mature with my end of September planting ripening quicker than my end of August planting; showers, fertility, variety, and geography all part of the equation. Still on the slow slug of second time fallow and my boys started a headland cleanup project that has been offices named “Pandora’s Box”. Moisture conditions have been fair. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
For the first week of July, it was a surprise to have it rain 5 days of the week. Sun .07 Mon.08 Tues.38 Fri .03 Sat .01. The spring crops really needed it to help fill as the next 2 weeks look a little warm. The hay crop is not very good as I will have the Fed Crop people out to look at some fields that I will not harvest. Made a few rounds and the windrows are very disappointing. The barley should finish heading out this coming week, as the SW all headed out except where the hail hit. A lot of people started haying on Friday that did not get the rain. Best to all and hope you had a great Fourth. Moisture conditions have been fair. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the heading growth stage. Barley is in the heading growth stage.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are coming along nicely, as are the wild oats. Just about done with the second round of irrigating. Sounds like the water will run out by the end of the month. Well, we have gone from nice and cool to blazing hot temps. This will bring the stress factor up. Cut some grass hay the past few days and the weather looks to hold good until I get it baled and gathered. Barley and wheat are headed out as are the wild oats. Did I mention wild oats before? Guess so. We are a month away possibly from harvest. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .4 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage. It’s going to be a hot one on the prairie for a few days.
Toole County - Klayton Lohr
Crop is doing okay; the heat will take its toll. Too much heat! Planning for an August 10th start date for harvest. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Durum was seeded this growing year. Too much heat, dealing with round 2 of grasshoppers, and zombie kochia are all cause for concern.
July 2, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Well…June could’ve been nicer to us. Little too much wind and heat with not a lot of moisture sure has taken the green out of everything. Pastures look like August already only the low spots are green. Crops are trying to hang on, but you can definitely tell where the poorer ground is because it’s burnt up. But hopefully the weathermen are right and we will enjoy a cool rainy fourth. Started haying, cut part of the winter wheat and it averaged three tons to the acre. Grass hay is about a bale to acre on what we will cut. 1000 acres the replacement heifers will get to swath for us because it’s just too thin. With any luck we won’t have to buy any hay to make the winter. Also sprayed thousand acres of fallow for neighbors. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have not received any precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Durum, Barley, Garbanzos, Canola, Mustard, Oats, Hay, and Hay barley were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage. The wind is still concerning.
Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
All of the crops are looking good. The winter wheat looks excellent in spite of a hail storm that did 5-15% damage across the path of the storm. The barley is in that awkward heading out stage where it looks streaky. It also got the hail, but there wasn't as much damage as the heads were mostly still in the stem. Compared to last year (they went in late) the peas look fantastic. They are almost twice as high as they were last year with lots of flowers. It's exciting to see how they'll do in our second year. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received about an inch of precipitation total in several events within the last week. Winter wheat, Barley, and Peas were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the heading growth stage. We were mowing several patches of goat grass growing on the edges of a few fields.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things are still looking good here in central Montana where the hail hasn’t hit. Have had some nice showers with some average temperatures. I would say that harvest will probably start here the first part of August. Moisture conditions have been good. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the filling growth stage. Spring wheat is in the heading growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
June came to an end with about 80% of normal June moisture. Most of it came the last half instead of the normal first half of the month. The cool temperatures really helped. The crop really looks good! With only 3 super hot days that is what is making this wheat crop, even with the late arrived moisture. But the hot temperatures are in the forecast. Get your house AC up and going. Montana as a state has the third least house hold AC in the US at 65%. Following Hawaii at 55% and Alaska at 7%. Iowa and Delaware are tied for the highest percentage of houses with AC at 97% each. Haying is in full swing. Windrows and bales are nothing like last year. Probably average at best. The winter wheat is beginning to get colored up. I have been noticing my canary in the coal mine for price trend is not doing good at all. Back to where we were 60 days ago and gave everything back from the run up. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received .45 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the soft dough growth stage. Spring wheat is in the filling growth stage.
Gallatin County – Dale Flikkema
Crops are doing very well. Haying got started last week. Some very nice hay got put up in the valley. But has come to a screeching halt. Due to the resent showers. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received .5 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, and Sunflower were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the heading growth stage. We just need more moisture to finish the crops.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
HRW is rounding third base on its way to home plate. Received .39 and .32 of precipitation in a couple of showers this past week. We have been fortunate to have dodged the hailstorms lately and condolences to those that had to endure it. Slugging our way through second round of fallow with other side projects currently. Everyone have a safe fourth and God Bless America! Moisture conditions have been good. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the filling growth stage. Barley is in the filling growth stage.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
Not a bad week as a whole, as the area got some rain, cooler temps, and too much wind. I think it blew every day this last week. The Central Montana Experiment Field Day was a sad day because of the hail damage. But they had a good crowd and a great lunch. Some started haying last Sunday and got a little bailed up with others still sitting in the windrows. Went to Swift Current on Monday and the crops in the entire Malta area look really good. Lots of pulses in Canada. Rained on Thursday 0.26 and Friday of 0.05 for a total of 0.31 for the week. Might start haying this coming week depending on the forecast, right now they are predicting some rain and cool temps to start the week so will have to see. Best to all. Moisture conditions have been fair. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the heading growth stage. Barley is in the heading growth stage.