June 25, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Ended up with seven tenths of rain this week, which has really helped as things were starting to show some stress. Will start cutting some winter wheat for hay this coming week. Branded more calves and almost got all the cows where they need to be for the summer. Ai’d replacement heifers as well. Been hauling some winter wheat to the elevator. Busy busy busy is the name of the game here. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .7 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 filling growth stage. Barley is in the heading growth stage.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
This last week has been a roller coaster ride for a lot of farmers here in Montana. We were very fortunate to get some much-needed rain earlier in the week and then Friday afternoon (6/21) showed up with a wide hailstorm in central Montana. Our farm lost around 2000 acres completely with some damage to everything else. We will be moving forward with the crop and hail insurance company to access all the damage in the next couple weeks. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received 1.5 inches of precipitation within the last week. 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 heading growth stage. Have seen some small areas of grasshoppers.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Since last week's crop report, it started to rain Monday night. What a nice soft rain! It was a God send for our crops. We did not have any hurting, but only 1 or 2 hot dry days would not have been good. The cool temperatures have been really making for a good crop. I have not seen it, but Boyd and Bing have been getting hail in their areas. In fact, some of it 3 days in a row. Might not be the best field day at Central Montana Experiment Station Wednesday. Harvest appears to be earlier this year than normal. The winter wheat is filling and soft dough, and the spring wheat is heading and some starting to fill. All ahead of average. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received 1.3 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 heading growth stage.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Stacked in .81 inches of moisture in multiple smaller showers this week. Wind and heat the last few days have progressed crops along. Mustard flowering, barley heading, ww is filling. Second round of chem fallow to do when weather allows and all the other projects that seem to happen when weather allows. Moisture conditions have been good. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
This last week had multiple hailstorms rolled thru the area. Utica, Hobson, Moccasin, and Moore all got hit with very damaging hail. Some hit twice. Total loss in all the areas where they were hit the hardest, as the Highway Dept. rolled out the snow plows in Moccasin, Hobson, and Utica area. At home got some much-needed rain. Mon .48 Tues.48 Wed .04 Fri .36 and some hail on Friday for a total of 1.26 inches within the last week. That's 1.76 for the month. On Friday (6/21) 4 miles to the east of me got over an inch just to show how streaky the storms were. Will finish spraying SF on Tuesday for second time. Best to all and have a safe week. Moisture conditions have been fair. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage. Weather concerns are no more violent storms, not so many windy days and temps where they should be, not the high 80’s to low 90's as predicted for Sunday as I do my report. Hoppers are bad in Winifred and Winnett areas, none here so far.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are looking fine around the Greenfields bench. The first round of irrigating is getting wrapped up and the second round will soon begin. Looks like the water reservoirs will hold out to complete this crop irrigation year, but questionable for any fall watering. T-storms last week left a little bit of moisture but whacked some acres with hail in the surrounding areas. We had pea size hail but no damage. Dodged that bullet so far. Missed last week’s crop report as I was attending National Barley Growers Association annual summer meeting discussing farm bill issues, some bylaw changes, and tours of Syngenta's seed coat and treatment research facility, as well as Rahr's malt plant in Minneapolis. The short grass prairies have changed colors with very little green left as the non-existent subsoil moisture testifies. Haying season has started in the region. Winter wheat is flowering. Barley is flagging and in the boot. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received <1 inch of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. The heat is going to put a big tax on crops and water supply as well as my durability. Weeds consist of tansy mustard, cheatgrass, and wild oats.
Toole County - Klayton Lohr
Looking okay at the moment. Hot dry wind isn’t helping. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .5 inches of precipitation within the last week. Durum was seeded this growing year. Need another shot of rain soon. Grasshoppers and kochia are present.
June 18, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Finished spraying everything in between branding calves and hurricane force winds. Trying to decide how much winter wheat needs to end up in a hay bale rather than the bin because the grass hay will be short. Canola is blooming and looking decent. Chickpeas have just started blooming. Winter wheat is anywhere from heading to filling depending on the field. Was starting to get quite dry but last night we received 6 tenths so that will help the crops a bunch. Had a little shower Friday night as well. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .7 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 filling growth stage. Barley is in the jointing growth stage. The wind is STILL a concern.
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Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Up until Monday the 17th, things were going the wrong direction crop wise. Since then, we have received 1.8 inches of rain. What a blessing to say the least. If we can keep above the freezing point tonight we should be in good shape. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received 1.8 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the heading growth stage. Spring wheat is in the jointing growth stage. Barley is in the jointing growth stage. Have seen some small areas of grasshoppers.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
I can not believe how well the winter and spring wheat look with an average May and much below June's precipitation. The cool weather has been saving our butt! There is an interesting research article out of England about wheat. Wheat is technically a cool season crop. According to the research article, any temperature above 85 is yield reducing. Let's hope that heat does not happen. However, it is disappointing to see the rains not materialize as predicted. The stage both the winter and spring wheat are in hurry up mode; harvest will be early this year. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .75 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the filling growth stage. Spring wheat is in the booting growth stage.
Gallatin County - Dale Flikkema
The crops look great. Moisture conditions have been excellent. We have received .5 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, Sunflower, and Hay were all seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage.
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Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Received .18 of precipitation yesterday (6/17). Amounts were heavier to the Northwest of us. Hoping for more showers possibly tonight and on into the week. Wind is still prevalent but have had a couple calm days to start off the week. Crops look great with lots of potential yet. Fairly caught up with the sprayer at the moment with a few odds and ends yet to clean up. 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 jointing growth stage.
Judith Basin County – Greg Mathews
Wind and very little rain are now the problems everyone is facing. Got 0.27 over the weekend with some cooler temps; 0.04 on Friday night and 0.23 on Saturday. Total for June is 0.40. Not enough as the WW is turning blue and some alfalfa is turning grey. Some are haying their cheat fields before they make seed and others will start as soon as the weather clears up. Way too early to start but must get what there is. Doesn't look like much of a crop, a quarter to half a ton per acre, is my estimate. The spring crops are still holding on and looking good, but they need more rain, maybe later in the week. Grasses are mostly headed out and are short. Reports of hoppers showing up in the Winifred area, however none here to report on. Best to all and hope everybody gets some rain. Moisture conditions have been poor. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year.
Teton County – Levi Ostberg
Winter wheat is doing well; flowering to starting to fill. Alfalfa is behind, stunted and has plenty of mustard in it this year. Some prevented plant around here due to our irrigation allotment being heavy cut and a projection of running out of water in our irrigation reservoirs by mid-July. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received .02 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the filling growth stage. Some concerns are we are way too dry & windy, also there is not enough irrigation water. Mustard is really thick in our hay fields.
June 11, 2024
Blaine County - Raymond Keller
Crops look good. Winter wheat is heading out. Spring wheat is being sprayed. Pulse crops seem to be coming along slowly for some reason. I haven't seen too many hoppers. The wind is still relentless, but if it keeps moisture coming i will take it. Grain growers needs another golf tournamnet this year so we can have another couple nice days to spray (It was the two nicest spray days of the year). We branded calves Sunday June 9th. We had a great crew of old and young help. Calves look really good. I hope everyone is being safe out their and you are receiving moisture for the farms and ranches. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .35 inches of moisture within the past week. Winter wheat, Srping wheat, Peas, and lentils were seeded this growing year. I haven't had many insect of disease concerns yet.
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Another week of wind, absolutely incredible. Headed to Great Falls on Wednesday to attend the summer board meeting, came home Thursday after the meeting. The plan was to get the durum sprayed on Friday but might as well of stayed and drank beer at the golf tournament, because the wind blew all day. Did get the durum sprayed on Saturday and switched over and got two loads of chickpeas sprayed…three tank loads left and I’ll be done for the year. Unless of course someone needs hoppers killed or fungicide. 406 winter wheat looks really good. I tried a new Canadian variety that was supposed to replace Matlock and I’m not super impressed with it. Think it’s way too long of a variety flagleafs are curled up and it’s turning blue I think it will run out of moisture before it gets done. The south part of the place got a quarter inch Sunday. The rest maybe a tenth. The hay ground could really use another inch of moisture so we could actually make some hay bales this year. It is amazing how much rain we received in May, and there are already cracks in the ground, I guess when you start at an empty profile it just takes more. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .25 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 heading growth stage. Barley is in the jointing growth stage. The wind is a concern. Hoppers, kochia, pigeon grass, wild oats, and cheat are a problem.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Last week’s winds have really stressed the crops. Double seeded winter wheat is turning the wrong shade of green. Hopefully, we can get some scattered showers soon. Moisture conditions have been fair. 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 heading growth stage. Spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Barley is in the tillering growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
So far June rain has been .27 inches for the month. The average is 3.22 inches with most coming in the first 10 days of the month. Winter wheat is headed and looking reasonably well all things considered. The wind has been just brutal. Even with the increased evaporation and transpiration, the crop looks reasonably well. The cool nights and cooler days have been saving our butt. At this time, (2) .75 inch rains would put a nice finish on both the winter wheat and spring wheat. Harvest is less than 40 days and 40 nights away. Haying has started on some grass hay and grain hay. The windrows and bale count are not very heavy. Very early to be haying. The ‘24 hay crop will not be close to what the ‘23 hay crop was. Moisture conditions have been poor. We have received .17 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the heading growth stage. Spring wheat is in the tillering growth stage.
Gallatin County - Dale Flikkema
Things are looking very well here. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received .5 inches of precipitation within the last week. Spring wheat, Lentils, Canola, Mustard, Hemp, Corn, Oats, Sunflower, and Hay were all seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Just need the rain to keep coming.
Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Antelope have congregated to protest carrying signs reading NO MORE WIND! The springs winds continue to pin sprayers down from doing their work. I have a third of my fallow yet to complete due to lack of quality spray days. Spring’s crops look ratty from wind and lack of heat. WW is growing but slowly due to weather conditions. Could use some heat (not the bake), could use some rain (not a derecho), could use less wind…just typical farmer drama slugging through the June paces. Moisture conditions have been good. Winter wheat, Barley, and Mustard were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the booting growth stage. Barley is in the 5-leaf growth stage.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops have really jumped up as the roots have been chasing the moisture down. Irrigation is in full swing on the bench, and all the headaches that entails. We are alloted 50% of paid for allotments, and are currently under ration orders to ensure that all get their share of what water we expect to have. We are rationed at 1.75cfs per 80 acres currently. Folks are working together to endure the demand and supply. I have given up on the dryland hay as the grass and alfalfa have given up to the drought conditions and allowed the cheatgrass to take over. So I terminated my cover crop of cheatgrass hopefully to capture some moisture from above for winter wheat this fall. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .04 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the heading growth stage. Spring wheat is in the tillering growth stage. Barley is in the tillering growth stage. We are in need of some divine intervention as the winds get western and the temperature climbs. Cheat grass and wild oats are present at this time.
June 4, 2024
Carter County - Michael Hansen
Got another inch of rain this week in a big thunderstorm. Unfortunately, it did have some hail that beat up the canola pretty good. Hopefully it was little enough that it will recover. Sprayed the mustard and canola this week. Durum and chickpeas are all that is left to crop spray, but that’ll have to wait until the end of this week, as we have two days of forty to fifty mile an hour winds. Branded more calves and got more cows to summer pasture. Winter wheat has started heading, it is on an extremely fast schedule…went from the joint to heading in what seemed like two weeks. Other than the wind and grasshoppers, not many complaints from me. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received 1 inch 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 heading growth stage. Barley is in the tillering growth stage.
Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things still look pretty good here. We were lucky to get a nice rain last night (6/3). Should be enough to put the rest of the urea down. The winter wheat is in the boot. About a week ahead of last year. We have about a third of the spring crop left to spray. I hope to see everyone at the golf tournament this Friday. Moisture conditions have been good. We have received .40 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Canola were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the booting growth stage. Spring wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage. Barley is in the 5-leaf growth stage.
Fergus County - Robert Bold
Over half done spraying spring wheat. A couple of non-windy days left. Chem fallow all caught up. Finished seeding alfalfa. Over half is up. Winter wheat is really pumping water. It and the native grass need a good drink. Our average June rain is 3.22 inches. Our monsoon season is May 20th to about June 12th. No major rain in the 10-day forecast. May was not overly wet but close to normal. Our ground for the most part is a silty clay loam. The loam really gives us good yield with the moisture at hand. The silty part is really a good texture--no rocks I might add. The clay holds the moisture really well--sometimes too well. At this time, the hay crop will not be what it was last year. Haying looks to start on some of it in a couple of weeks. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received traces precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat and Spring wheat were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the booting growth stage. Spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Just found a hatch of hoppers in the grass roadway. Zillions of them.
Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
The spring crops seem slow to grow. Barley and SW are only in the 2 to 4 leaf stages. Waiting to spray for weeds, wild oats, and darnel in some fields. Moisture last week was light with only 0.09 inches on Wed (5/29) bringing the total for the month to 2.27 inches. The grasses are heading out and are not very high. Makes one wonder what the hay crop will be like, but it is still green and have not seen any grasshoppers except the ones that over wintered and they are few, thank goodness. Elevators are still loading shuttles and moving grain at a fast pace, and they have all the outside piles gone. Moisture conditions have been good. Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Spring wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage. Barley is in the 3-leaf growth stage. Will need some rain soon again and a little heat, maybe like low 70's.
Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are looking great. Short grass prairie is going to seed already, indicative of lack of subsoil moisture. The winter wheat is heading out and dry but getting wet as we have started the irrigation chores. Been busy spraying in between the wind waves. The spring wheat and barley have been sprayed for wild oats. Need to go back and do it again for broadleaves. I see we were added to the list for drought designation as primary natural disaster area along with seven other counties. Farm bill discussions are on-going and reference pricing is a big part of the discussion. We need to remain a part of the discussion to protect our way of life. I included a picture of the lifeblood of the bench. Moisture conditions have been fair. We have received .15 inches of precipitation within the last week. Winter wheat, Spring wheat, Barley, and Hay were seeded this growing year. Winter wheat is in the heading growth stage. Spring wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage. Barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage. The wind is really raising cane lately. This will suck the moisture out of the ground. My barnyard well started cavitating last week while spraying and had to switch to the house well, which is a bit deeper, for water. It was adequate but sucking a bit of sand itself. Don't forget to report conditions on the Drought Impact Reporter. The more reports the quicker the response to conditions and designations. Wild oats, shepards purse, cheat grass, kochia, and lambsquarter are the weed problems.
