Janel: Oklahoma Wheat Harvest Report

Weatherford, Oklahoma – What a relief it is to have our second trip south for wheat harvest accomplished! On the trip south from Nebraska to Oklahoma (400-plus miles) I drove a truck and hauled a combine and a grain trailer.  It was a fairly simple trip besides having to travel over a few rough railroad tracks, bumpy bridges and narrow roads but we made it without having any blown out tires!  That is a good day!  We did drive thru Great Bend, Kansas while it was raining cats and dogs and it hailed for a minute or two as well.  Other than that, the sun was shining and overall we had a good trip south for wheat harvest.

Luckily, we got to go to the field the very next day and cut 40 bushel wheat with 62.9 lbs test weight. You may have heard my Harvest USA report with Howard Hale on Tuesday but the wheat in the Weatherford area has been 40 to 60 bushels per acre with a good test weight of 62 and 63 lbs.  We have been cutting wheat this week, but the weather forecast does not look too good for the weekend.  It’s currently cool and cloudy and we have chances of rain for the next three days.  As a harvester, I check the weather forecast and humidity several times per day.  The weather plays a huge role in our day to day work and can be quite challenging and frustrating when it’s not wheat cutting weather.  I just want the sun to shine, so we would keep on cutting wheat!

Our combines that started in southwest Oklahoma just finished yesterday, and they had three inches of rain overnight. Talk about perfect timing in finishing up!  They have been busy working there almost two weeks and harvested wheat along with a few fields of canola and a few acres of triticale and oats too.  The wheat there made 20 to 25 bushels per acre and weighed 58 to 60 lbs and some weighed only 54 lbs.  I hope these farmers have a better wheat crop next year!  I’ll be rooting for you!

 

Schemper 2017 - Going South For Wheat Harvest

My Dad hauled the tractor grain cart and I hauled the combine. We had a good day. Here we were stopped for a convenience store lunch in southern Kansas on our way to Oklahoma. (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Wheat Harvest 2017

I had just hauled the combine from Nebraska to Oklahoma. It is a great feeling to make it to your destination without having any troubles along the way! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

This is a picture from our first day of wheat harvest. We started out at 13 percent moisture that afternoon and cut until the field was finished at 11:30 p.m. It was a good day! The combine operator is Lonny Schemper. (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

MacDon Customer Support stopped by to check up on us and they did some really nice TLC to our MacDon headers! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

Combine selfie late at night! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

I love having a cow herd audience! Moo loves it even more! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

We were getting too many sprinkles and had to stop cutting and wait it out. I greased the combine while we waited an hour for it to dry off. We had wind and sunshine and got to cut and finished the field at about 9 p.m. (Photo by Janel Schemper)

dry grain after a rain

This was just an hour after the little rain shower we had. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing which is what we needed to get to cut again and finish the field. (Photo by Janel Schemper)

Schemper 2017 - Oklahoma Wheat Harvest

This is the “horse bridge” in Weatherford, Oklahoma that crosses over Interstate 40. I think it is super unique and pretty! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

waitingonsunshine

Today we are dealing with misting rain, clouds and cooler temperatures. It’s frustrating when you have wheat to cut and the weather won’t allow for it to be harvested. I just want to cut wheat! (Photo by Janel Schemper)

All Aboard Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and John Deere. Janel Schemper can be reached at janel@allaboardharvest.com.

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