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HWW Wheat Tour Day 1 Results 05/14 23:09
Variable Wheat Still Averages 49.9 BPA on HWW Wheat Tour Day 1
Day 1 of the Wheat Quality Council's Hard Winter Wheat Tour concluded
Tuesday, May 14, with a total weighted average yield estimate of 49.9 bushels
per acre (bpa).
Jason Jenkins
DTN Crops Editor
COLBY, Kan. (DTN) -- Day 1 of the Wheat Quality Council's Hard Winter Wheat
Tour concluded Tuesday, May 14, with a total weighted average yield estimate of
49.9 bushels per acre (bpa). It was the second-highest Day 1 yield average in
the past decade for the tour, being bested only by 2021 when the route averaged
59.2 bpa.
Nearly 75 tour participants in 18 vehicles left Manhattan, Kansas, spreading
out across northwest and north-central portions of the state to assess the hard
winter wheat crop -- estimating potential yield and noting pest and disease
pressure. Some sampling also occurred in select counties in southern Nebraska.
At the end of the day in Colby, as the scouting reports from each vehicle
were shared, it was evident that while crop conditions were vastly improved
from 2023, there was great variability both geographically and even within
individual fields. Many haves and have-nots could be determined simply by
looking at a map of precipitation totals this spring.
"Last year, we only harvested about 200 of the 1,400 acres that we had
planted, and those did about 20 bushels an acre. The insurance adjusters put
the rest at 2 to 4 bushels," said Dean Stoskopf who farms in central Kansas
around Hoisington. "So far this year, we've still got all our wheat. Some is
decent. Some is so-so. We shoot for that 50-bushel yield range, but I don't
think I'm anywhere close to that this year."
In the 206 winter wheat fields observed by tour scouts on May 14, estimated
yields ranged from a low of 10 bpa to a high of 112 bpa. Freeze damage was
noted in many fields, most likely the result of overnight temperatures on March
26-27 that fell well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of
time. Reports of stripe rust were also common, a potential consequence of
growers trying to determine if fungicide applications make economic sense in
fields with lower yield potential.
Jeanne Falk Jones, a multi-county agronomy specialist with Kansas State
University Extension, said that much of the unevenness in the wheat stands
observed in the fields was the result of stand establishment last fall.
"While we had profile moisture down low in the soil profile, the top 3 or 4
inches were very dry," she said. "And what that resulted in is really a
challenge to get good stand establishment clear across the field."
She explained that without moisture, fall tiller development that helps
drive yield doesn't occur. So, the crop then must rely on tillers developing in
the spring.
"The challenge with that is you actually have to have moisture in the spring
to get those spring tillers up and get them going," she said. "I actually
looked at the Kansas Mesonet station based on the Colby Experiment Station.
From March 1 until April 25, we had 0.35 inches of rain. That's nothing that's
really going to make much difference in our wheat crop, and that's what you're
seeing in the field this week."
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Progress and
Condition Report released May 13 estimated that 28% of the Kansas winter wheat
crop was in good condition, down 1% from the previous week. NASS rated the
remainder of the crop as 13% very poor, 22% poor, 34% fair and 3% excellent.
On Wednesday, May 15, Day 2 of the hard winter wheat tour moves into
southwest and south-central Kansas, with one route extending into select
counties in Oklahoma. The day ends in Wichita.
DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins is participating on this year's tour. Look
for more daily updates and final yield estimates on http://www.dtnpf.com and on
social platform X.
Jason Jenkins can be reached at jason.jenkins@dtn.com
Follow him on social platform X @JasonJenkinsDTN
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