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Wheat crop comes in below average for many

Florence has

'dirty' harvest

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

As wheat harvest nears an end, area elevator managers report grain receipts significantly lower than the past several years.

Mike Thomas, manager of Cooperative Grain and Supply in Marion, said the facility has taken in an amount "substantially below" the 10-year average of 500,000 bushels. He estimated the average yield at 35 bushels per acre.

"It's pretty discouraging for everybody," he said.

Mid-Kansas Cooperative at Florence reported a rough harvest in the area.

"It's the dirtiest harvest we've ever had since I've been here," said Bryan Harper, who's been the manager there for 12 years. "You can hardly see to unload the trucks."

He noted that most of the facility's wheat comes from the Cottonwood River Valley between Florence and Elmdale.

"Water stood over thousands of acres for three days," he said.

Some of the acreage is still too wet to harvest. Test weights generally were under a full 60 pounds per bushel, averaging 58-59 and some as low as 53.

According to Harper, yields ranged from 10 to 40 bushels per acre, with 18-25 bushel yields common.

"The guys I talked to said they didn't make any money this year," Harper said. "This is the worst year I've seen."

He said many spring crops are being replanted but the corn looks good.

Dick Tippin, grain co-ordinator for Cooperative Grain and Supply, reported receipt of 431,000 bushels of wheat at the Hillsboro facility as of Tuesday, approximately 15 percent less than a year ago.

Reported yields ranged from 20 to 50 bushels per acre. Tippin said cheat was a much bigger problem than usual.

Stan Utting, manager of Agri-Producers, Inc., headquartered at Tampa, said grain receipts were "down a bunch" from a year ago. He said the average yield was approximately 30 bushels per acre.

He said wheat quality was good but the grain contained a lot of cheat and other foreign material.

At Lincolnville, manager Perry Gutsch said he received reports of yields from 20 to 50 bushels per acre. For the most part, "the crop was not quite as good as they (farmers) wanted it to be," he said.

The Burns Mid-Kansas Co-op reported yields of 12-50 bushels per acre and more cheat than usual.

Chris Bielefeld at Mid-Kansas Co-op in Peabody said yields in that area have ranged from 10 to 50 bushels per acre. He noted winter kill, freeze damage, disease, and cheat as reasons for the poorer yields.

He said total bushels taken in might be 70 percent of last year.

"Hopefully, we'll have a good fall harvest," he said, reflecting the eternal optimism of those who live off the land.

On Tuesday, prices in the area ranged from $3.10 a bushel at Peabody to $3.17 at Tampa, approximately 15 to 20 cents lower than a year ago.

According to elevator managers, most farmers are holding onto their wheat in hopes of a better price.

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