05 Aug Janel: South Dakota Spring Wheat
Pierre, South Dakota – We’ve been staying busy cutting spring wheat but I think we’ll work ourselves out of work pretty soon. All I want to do is keep on cutting wheat and work all day every day. The cutting conditions have been good except for the occasional evening rain shower that has shut us down a time or two. The spring wheat we’ve cut has been in the 40 to 60 bushels per acre range. The test weight has been 61 to 63 pounds per bushel and the protein 12.0 to 16.4 percent. We did cut one field of spring wheat where the test weight was low (50 to 55 pounds) but the protein high (16+). It didn’t receive rain at the right time and didn’t yield as well as expected either.
It looks to me that there are more soybeans planted than ever in this area. There’s also a lot of corn planted and sunflowers too. There seemed to be less winter wheat planted than ever. The spring wheat acres will disappear quickly with a hot and dry forecast. I am glad to be here and have always enjoyed cutting wheat in this area of South Dakota. We will be going to North Dakota next on our harvest route.
Beautiful South Dakota spring wheat. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Dad and I cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Schemper Harvesting cutting spring wheat. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
It looks like it may or may not rain here. We’ll see. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Maggie Moo and I waiting on wheat to dry. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Looks like rain on the way. Photo by Janel Schemper.
I just want to get the wheat cut before it rains. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Schemper Harvesting cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
Cutting spring wheat in South Dakota. Photo by Janel Schemper.
My combine shadow. 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.
leonard Wilson
Posted at 15:08h, 05 AugustI really look forward to you guys filing the latest progress report, it is so interesting to hear of the ups and downs, the ‘great white combine’ is not something we are accustomed to here in the UK, that picture of the corn crop lowered to the height of a coke can was very sobering indeed. I understand crop insurance will soften the blow for the farmer, but that is no help to you guys at all, must be very disheartening for the farmer too
Tom Stegmeier
Posted at 20:41h, 06 AugustLove the picture of you & Miss Moo !! Is the spring wheat on summer fallow or seeded into winter wheat stubble ? Tracy on her Nebraska Wheatie blog commented on the more acres of soy beans & corn instead of wheat just as you have seen . Has wheat lost it’s King ground in the great plains ? What is your intake on this Janel ? Give Miss Moo a big rub & Work Safe !!!
Gary Schmidt
Posted at 07:32h, 10 AugustEnjoy your posts ! …much different than when I was on the harvest trail in the 1970s.
Question-
1. How many acres do you put each combine over in a typical year ?
2. How many machine hours do you log on each combine in a year ?
3. Do you trade for new combines each year, or run them multiple years ?
nancy eberts
Posted at 22:09h, 10 Augustlove your clean windows! Have a great day
Janel Schemper
Posted at 21:22h, 12 AugustThank you Nancy! Clean windows are a must!