13 Jun Emma: Movin’ On to Greener Pastures

We are in Andale, Kan., after a long road trip, and a few raindrops. As we left Elk City, Okla., it looked as if we may run into a major storm, but thankfully it weakened before we drove into it. We had a few sprinkles here and there, but not enough to make the roads too wet. I never cuss the rain when we get it and I’m thankful the move went smoothly.

When we arrived it was later in the day, so we set up the campers and headed to bed knowing the day ahead of us would be a big one. We unloaded machines, connected headers and drove to our first field of wheat. Looking at the wheat from the road it doesn’t appear to be ripe enough, and the heads are not tipped down. (When the heads are tipped down that is an indication the wheat is dry.) There are also places where the stalks were a little green, but we went ahead and ran a sample. It was wet – 17 percent moisture.

We talked to the farmer and he told us to run a sample semi load. We looked at the field and decided to cut around the perimeter to fill the semi. Apparently God was looking out for us because somehow that semi tested 13.3 percent moisture. That meant it was time to cut wheat. We were able to cut all day without any moisture issues.

Dan and I cutting a sample to see what it was.

Cutting the opening round.

Cutting next to a railroad track.

You can tell the wheat is much better than around Elk City.

The wheat in Kansas is much better than what we cut in Oklahoma. So far what we’ve cut has averaged around 40 to 45 bushels/acre. It’s nice to be in good wheat again. This area got enough moisture and this is about average for them. I’m glad to hear that the drought didn’t hurt this area. There are still spotty places, but this year’s wheat crop near Andale looks to be promising.

We were able to harvest in a few fields before the rain hit on Saturday night. It rained a little over a half inch over eight hours. I welcomed that rain because I haven’t seen it for quite some time, and I’m not going to lie – I always enjoy a day off.

Be safe and God bless!

Emma can be reached at emma@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2011 is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.