Cool spring delays wheat harvest

MOSES LAKE - The cooler spring delayed wheat harvest by between 10 and 13 days in Eastern Washington this week.

But the weather also helped crops.

Increased yields were reported in the Connell and Lind areas by 10 to 15 bushels more than last year and 5 to 10 percent in the Moses Lake area, according to the Washington Grain Alliance and Moses Lake grower Ron Fode.

Prices for hard red winter wheat and dark Northern spring wheat are about $1.50 more per bushel than last year, Fode said.

An "exceptional crop" is expected in Grant County, according to the National Ag Statistic Service's weekly crop report.

In Adams County, it's too early to tell, but it seems yields held up as predicted, according to the report.

Glen Squires, vice president of Washington Grain Alliance, learned "the crops are in pretty good shape," after talking with elevator operators in Connell and Lind, he said Wednesday.

"Soft white protein was in under 9.7 percent," Squires said. "That's good, that's what you want for soft white."

Growers have to meet certain protein levels in their wheat to avoid price reductions.

Hard red winter protein levels were came in at 11.5 to 12 percent range.

Some growers are below that range and some are above.

With hard red spring wheat, protein levels were 13.5 percent or higher.

Fode, a Moses Lake grower, said he just started harvesting his semi irrigated and dryland wheat. He grows dark red winter wheat and dark Northern spring wheat.

"This year, the weather patterns were favorable to wheat finishing nicely," Fode said. "The cool weather helped."

His dryland yields are 35 to 40 bushels per acre and irrigated yields are 110 to 120 bushels per acre.

From last year, dryland yields increased by 5 to 10 percent. He can't tell if his irrigated yields improved.

"But it looks good to me from on top of the combine," he said. "It looks pretty good by the way the weather is set up," he said. "The weather was a good indicator of decent-to-favorable yields this year."

Prices improved from last year, with hard red winter wheat and dark Northern spring wheat bringing in about $1.50 more per bushel.

Last year, hard red winter wheat sold for $6 to $6.50 per bushel and dark Northern spring wheat was $9.25 per bushel.

A few years ago, dark Northern spring was $12 per bushel.

The cool, wet weather increased precipitation to above average levels, said Scott Yates, communications director for Washington Grain Alliance.

"This is the first time in a number of years that all of the stations reported they are above average precipitation," he said.

Weather conditions in both Spokane and Moses Lake were wet and cool, setting back the harvest.

If it rains during harvesting and kernels in the heads sprout, this discounts crops, he said.

This isn't a problem in the Moses Lake area, as mostly irrigated crops are grown.

Right now, the weather is dry and hot and sprout is not a problem, he said.

"I would imagine harvest is at least two weeks behind schedule," he said. "It's going great guns in the Horse Heaven Hills."

The yields are high and from what he's heard, "everything is very, very good," he said.

Prices were good for a while because Russia kept its wheat from being exported, he said.

The Russians announced in July they were going to reenter the world market and the price went back down.