By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
The beginning of July means many things. It means that it’s time for our nation’s birthday. It means that we are getting into the meat of summertime, and temperatures are going up. And, for the farmers, it means wheat harvest time.
According to local farmer Bryan Brause, the target for taking off the wheat is always right around the first of July. The target looks like one that will be hit this year, assuming the rain quits on time. After the rain stops, the fields will need about a 24 hour dry out period before the combines can begin their work. Brause said that his wheat harvest, assuming no major catastrophes, takes between four and seven days.
It has been a good year so far in Crawford County. The temperatures have been much more agreeable this year, and we have had a lot more rain. Last year at this time it was very dry, and we were settling into some drought like conditions.
“We’re in really good shape,” Brause said.
Ever since he completed his planting on May 15, which Brause said was a pretty typical ending time, he has been working on spraying and maintenance. After the wheat harvest is completed he is set to resume these.
The markets seem to think that this fall’s harvest is going to be a good one. One of the ways the markets manifest this prediction is in their prices for new crop versus old crop. Old crop is grain that has already been harvested but has not been sold. An example of this would be grain that a farmer has stored in a grain bin. New crop is product that is in the ground and has yet to be harvested.
Currently, the price for old crop is much higher than the price for new crop, indicating that the markets believe this year’s new crop will be ripe with supply, therefore reducing demand (and price).
If the weather continues to alternate nicely between sun and rain, and we stay away from damaging storms, it certainly looks like those market predictors are going to be correct.