Bad weather hurries corn farmers
Santiago Pruneda unloads a truck full of corn at Connell Grain Growers near Moses Lake Tuesday.
MOSES LAKE — A long line of about 25 trucks were waiting to unload their corn at Connell Grain Growers.
The rush to unload corn marks one of the biggest corn harvests in the Columbia Basin in terms of the amount grown.
Although yields are down by about one ton per acre, corn prices are good, making it a record year, said Mike Lowry, a merchandiser with Connell Grain Growers.
The lines on Tuesday are the longest they’ve had, prompted by the upcoming mix of rain and snow.
Monday night’s windstorm caused some farmers to lose about 10 acres of corn, which wasn’t a major catastrophe, he said.
Lowry estimates they are about one-third of the way done with harvest.
So far, test weights were down slightly.
Some farmers sold their corn a few months ago to deliver now.
“Long lines and patience from farmers will get us through this,” he said.
Their biggest concern is getting corn dried and farmers paid.
“We re trying to take care of everyone, Lowry said.
Connell Grain Growers is hauling at night and constantly moving the product as they receive it.
They’ve also brought corn to their Quincy facility to make space available at their Wheeler facility, where the largest corn drier in the Pacific Northwest sits, he said.
The corn is coming in wetter, with 20 percent average moisture.
They are able to dry 24 hours a day.
“We are only drying for customers now,” he said. “We have a lot sold, we just have to get it dry.”
If corn is too wet to be unloaded at the Warden facility, dryers are also located at Quincy, Bruce, Mesa and Frischnecht.
“They’re making a mad dash before winter sets in,” said Larry Williams, a grain bin operator supervisor, with Connell Grain Growers.
It takes one hour to dry a semi load.
The wind and a good freeze also helps dry the corn.
“We haven’t even seen any dry stuff yet,” William said.
A late wheat harvest put the corn harvest back a few weeks, he said
Corn harvest should last until February or March.
The product is mostly feeder corn that’s bound for Willamette Egg Farm near Moses Lake, El Orro Cattle Feeders and Land O’Lakes and Purina Mills in Spokane.