As harvest wraps up and the year comes to an end, many farmers are putting away their combines and taking a well-deserved break. For others, however, it's just the beginning. Winter wheat planting is in full swing across many states, and for most farmers, it’s almost complete. We talked with two farmers in the South and Central Plains regions to get their updates and learn about what they are experiencing in their areas.
Photo by Chris Lopez
Region: Kansas
Status: Completed
Completion Date: October 27th
Challenges: Moisture
“We finished planting Sunday night, October 27,” said Scott Van Allen. “Later than normal but ahead of last year. Wet weather delayed the start of planting, but we haven’t had much moisture since. Most people are finished planting but some wheat is going in behind beans and milo.”
Region: Texas
Status: Ongoing
Completion Date: TBD
Challenges: Weather and Prices
“We started October 8, which is a tad later than we usually do,” said Chris Lopez. “We normally like to get going about mid-September, but the weather set us back a bit. Starting at harvest, we had a ton of rain that slowed things down, so we've been playing catch-up ever since.”
“We've had really good moisture at the beginning, but it only lasted about a week and a half. We had to go back to spraying and plowing to kill any late volunteers/junk that popped up, but luckily we haven't had many breakdowns so far this year, just a few. Our main obstacle has been the weather not cooperating. We've had to go back to dry sowing and barely dusting over the seed now that we've lost all moisture,” said Chris.
“Overall, I feel like this will be a good year. Hopefully the price of wheat will go up after all of the negotiations with China go through; we could really use a boost in the price of wheat right about now. We feel good about this season though,” said Chris.
Have you finished your winter wheat planting? What varieties are you growing this season? Let us know and send a photo of your winter wheat fields on Facebook or Twitter.