MGGA Weekly Crop Condition Survey

 

 

August 27, 2019

Todd Hansen - Hill County
Lied to you. Still have a patch left. Sorry. Working on getting farmed sanitized. Getting drill ready, seed lined up (going Lochiel style in 2020). And haggling with fertilizer guys. So 2020 is taking shape. Good luck and a safe harvest to you all. And thank God for new deal with Japan. Will begin harvest July 25, 2020.

Craig Henke - Liberty County
Very cool summer, only had 2 days at 97 degrees. Harvest near end, but west lots crops standing. Finished with second cutting alfalfa, and hoping for third. Mornings getting cool, never know what mother nature will bring, an early frost could make markets wild. Lots of grain piles at elevators. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .5 of precipitation in the past week.

Robert Bold - Fergus County
We have been getting showered out of the harvest field. Done with the winter wheat and working on the spring wheat. We are getting better yields on recrop spring wheat than the winter wheat. The 2 snow storms after Easter and the hard May frost took at least 20 bushels per acre off the yield. The early seeded winter wheat really got beat up with the frosts. The later seeded winter wheat did much better than the early seeded winter wheat which is not normal. Hoping the barley makes malt. Moisture conditions are good receiving .4 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is harvested. Spring wheat is harvested. Barley is ripe. Problems in the field are grasshoppers, not much for weeds. Waiting for cheat grass to emerge and soil temperature to cool off.

Mitch Konen - Teton County
Yet another week of hurry up and wait. There are a lot of crops in the fields with a green hue to them yet. Combines everywhere running from field to field trying to find something dry enough to cut. Most of the winter wheat has been harvested and a few barley fields are just getting started or sampled. Spring wheat is another week off. Finished my winter wheat yesterday, but my barley is still too wet to store, so waiting another day hoping for sunshine and a nice southwest breeze. Weather pattern has just not been conducive to maturing the crops with clouds, spits of rain, and northerly, easterly winds. Not normal. Yields are exceptional with good quality so far. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .32 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is excellent and harvested with 100 (bu/A). Spring wheat is excellent and ripe with an expected 90 (bu/A). Barley is excellent and ripe with an expected 100 (bu/A). Chickpeas are fairly green yet. Field peas have been harvested. Canola turning slowly. Problems in the field are grasshoppers, earwigs, mosquitoes and kochia. Harvest is on, man.

Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
Hope to be done harvesting ww this coming week and get to the malt bly. The early seeded bly ran 60 bu. but was only 45# 14.5 protein and 70 plump. Hoping things are better at home. WW got better with 64 # and 12.5 pro. and running in the 70's. Not many days harvesting with 3 days of rain this past week with a total of 66 hundreds moisture. Still really green are all the grasses and pastures, unbelieviable for the end of August. Will still be harvesting in September as there is still a lot of grain still in the fields. Received .66 of precipitation in the past week.

August 20, 2019

Trevor Wolery - Hill County
6.29” accumulated precip with 1.21” being in August. Frustrating year, with drought, no markets, my lack of foresight with selling any bushels ahead. Finished WW yesterday with decent bushels ranging from 30-50. A true testament to No Till fallow and what it can produce with limited rainfall. Hail storm hit the northwest corner of our farm last Thursday, shelled out spring wheat and barley. My crew starts school this week and wife and kids will be missed here in the field. Bushels of grasshoppers seem to be out yielding the spring wheat and barley. WW planting will begin soon and we can focus on next year and forget this one. Faith and Family is what makes Farming...everyone be safe and keep your chin up.

Todd Hansen - Hill County
Harvest is progressing. Should be wrapped up by this Thursday. Not bad for how little rain and abundance of sawflys. Doing a lot of stressing over next year's plan. Seems to change hourly. Stay safe. Send me your rain/hail.

Robert Bold - Fergus County
Been kind of a slow on again off again week. Had multiple showers to keep us out. Should finish winter wheat in 2 more days. Usually we are done with winter wheat by this time. Yields have been just great. Test weight 60 plus. Protein 12.5. Spring wheat is ready. Hoping the barley makes malt. Soil condition is just excellent for winter wheat seeding--however still quiet warm and no cheat grass showing up yet. Moisture conditions are good receiving .6 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is good and harvested. Spring wheat is good and ripe. Barley is good and turning. Problems in the field are grass hoppers.

Mitch Konen - Teton County
Harvest has begun here on the bench. After a few samples were cut last week and then a good rain on Friday night, folks are ready to reap the summer's work. Most are finding a few green spots yet and patching, while others are just going to have to wait another day or so due to high moisture. Machines are all staged, ready for the dance that is about to commence. Winter wheat or peas are about the only thing that has been cut so far. Dryland barley is starting to be cut. Crops and conditions are looking really good for right now. Everyone stay safe. Moisture conditions are good receiving .5 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is excellent and ripe with an expected 90 (bu/A). Spring wheat is excellent and in the hard dough stage with an expected 90 (bu/A). Barley is excellent and in the hard dough stage with an expected 100 (bu/A). Canola is bushing out big. Chickpeas are turning. Field peas are near harvestable. Problems in the field are sawfly and grass hoppers. Will begin harvest tomorrow.

Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
Got a day and a half in harvesting and got rained out. WW running 50- 60bu. 12 plus protein. 61# Harvest should get in full swing this week, only got .12 rain Saturday. Lot of people tried harvesting before last Thursday at 15 to 20 moisture. Driest sample at the elevator was 13.8 on Wednesday. Yields in the area seem to be above average and good protein and test weight. Barley a different story 45# 91 plump and low protein is the only story so far I have heard of. Good luck to all and have a safe harvest. Moisture conditions are good receiving .11 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is ripe. Barley is in the hard dough stage. Starting to see some hoppers.

August 13, 2019

Terry Angvick - Sheridan County
Long absence. My bad. Has been a roller coaster ride over here in the northeast. Started with good overwinter moisture, then turned dry all of April, most of May and the first three weeks of June. Thought the year was a goner! Then it rained for nearly three weeks. Anywhere from 5-8”. A complete turnaround. Not much rain since, but crops still look good. Most here are trying to harvest peas and some have desiccated lentils. Early pea yields are very good, pushing 50 and some better. Early wheat will be ready soon. Had an inch or more over weekend, so should help wheat fill. Moisture conditions are good with 1-1.5 inches the past week. Spring wheat is in good condition, in the hard dough stage with a yield potential of 40. Peas look very good. Yields ranging from 35-55. Recent rains may cause some quality issues. Lentils look good and should be in the 20-30 bu range. The chickpeas also look good. Most have been sprayed for disease, some several times. Basic weed issues - Pulse crop have kochia, Canada thistle and Russian thistle and prickly lettuce. Diseases - Ascochyta in chickpeas. A lot of acres sprayed for scab prevention. We're done with pea harvest, lentils next. Waiting for fields to dry out. Have been desiccated for a week or more now. Durum will start soon after lentils.

Matt Flikkema - Gallatin County
Crops look beautiful around the valley, a little winter wheat and some peas are being harvested in Gallatin County. Winter wheat harvest has begun in Broadwater county; Wheat Montana has started but Saturday and Sunday nights storms dumped a lot of rain and hail around, so areas are hit hard. Toston, Townsend area Saturday and parts of the valley north of Belgrade hit hard Sunday evening, lots of damage. Personally I'll be lucky to cut any winter wheat this week, probably middle of next week. Barley is still 2 to 3 weeks out.

Robert Bold - Fergus County
Cut winter wheat part of Thursday and Friday until we got rained out. Yields are in the high 50's and low 60's, test weigh 60 plus. What we have hauled in the elevator--12.7 protein. Moisture was 11.7%. Have a good harvest!! Moisture conditions are good receiving 1" of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is ripe. Spring wheat is ripe. Barley is in the hard dough stage. Problems in the field are lots and lots of grasshoppers; may have to spray the barley.

Mitch Konen - Teton County
Dryland winter wheat in the area has or is being cut. Irrigated winter wheat still has a tint of green due to the understory finally maturing. Will probably be next week before it is really ready. Barley is turning fast along with the spring wheat, but a couple weeks away at the earliest. Some second cutting hay being knocked down. Pulse crops are close to being ready as well. Shorter days are slowing the maturing process now as the nights are getting cooler as well. Have been lucky with big t-storms going around us just leaving a little moisture to settle the dust. Have heard of some surrounding hail storms. Have a safe and bountiful harvest. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .26 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is excellent and ripe with an expected 90 (bu/A). Spring wheat is excellent in the soft dough stage with an expected 90 (bu/A). Barley is excellent in the soft dough stage with an expected 100 (bu/A). Problems in the field are wild oats. Will begin harvest within the week.

August 6, 2019

Todd Hansen - Hill County
Harvest has rolled. Should finish today with HRW. Lines at elevator getting longer. And storage is getting more expensive. DNS should kick off by beginning of next week. Be safe.

Craig Henke - Liberty County
Harvest is in full swing, some cutting winter wheat and some cutting peas. Winter wheat yields in 50's, peas 45-50 bu. Not many lentils cut yet, might try ours by mid-week. Irrigating alfalfa for second cutting, finished irrigating spring wheat end of last week. Neighbors had small fire today, but was quickly under control. Have safe harvest. Moisture conditions are fair. Winter wheat is harvested. Spring wheat is in the soft dough stage.

Robert Bold - Fergus County
We're ready to start harvesting winter wheat but just enough green heads to give us trouble. So we wait another 90 degree day to two. The temperature will bring things on quicker. Everyone is just trying to get started but fighting the green heads. Yields for what have been cut have been over 60. Pea harvest is starting. Excellent yields. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .25 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is good and ripe. Spring wheat is good in the hard dough stage. Barley is good in the soft dough stage. Problems in the field are lots and lots of hoppers.

Mitch Konen - Teton County
Crops are maturing rapidly in this heat. Irrigation continues on hay ground for a second cutting. The sky is getting denser with the smoke from wildland or forest fires making for spectacular blood red sunsets over the Rockies. Winter wheat harvest has begun in the area on the dryland farm ground. Irrigated winter wheat will begin within the next week or so, closely followed by the spring crops. Sent in some spring wheat samples from some questionable wheat in my fields to the Schutter Diagnostic Lab resulting in what is being called frost damage and a little Take All. Thanks to them for the confirmation. Not a serious problem, but at least recognized. Everyone have a safe and bountiful harvest and may the markets swing in our favor. Moisture conditions are good receiving .3 of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is excellent and ripe with an expected 100 (bu/A). Spring wheat is excellent in the hard dough stage with an expected 100 (bu/A). Barley is excellent in the soft dough stage with an expected 100 (bu/A). Canola is looking outstanding. Pulses as well. Problems in the field are wild oats, kochia, lambsquarter and take all. Will begin harvest within the week.

Greg Mathews - Judith Basin County
Finally finished up haying and was surprised how good it was. With the heat for all of last week the grain is starting to turn fast but still a week out. Sprayed all the SF again and will work some this next week to get rid of the ruts left by the sprayer. Expect to see some combines rolling next week in the WW fields and a few barley fields. Winifred area has started combining finally. All haying should be done this next week except in the Gap Garneil area as they running late because of the rain. Hail storm hit Harlo area last week and dumped 1 and a half inches of rain and hail. Have a great harvest. Moisture conditions are good. Winter wheat is in the hard dough stage. Barley is in the soft dough stage. Problems in the field are Russian thistle, kochia, pig weed and prickly lettuce.