15 Aug Laura: Back in the groove

Cascade County, Montana — It is after 11 on Monday night. I’m sitting at my table, typing out my weekly post. I still have a few more things to tidy up after feeding 26 people tonight and am considering making my Rice Krispies Treats now to save me a task tomorrow. I’m also having a mental debate about if I want to stay up a little longer to see the northern lights. They’re supposed to be good tonight. My energy is waning, it was partly cloudy, and the smoke from area wildfires persists, so there’s no guarantee. However, the allure of potentially watching the lights dance may win in the end.

The crops have ripened quickly in just one week. Fields that were fairly green last week are nearly golden now. It’s been ideal wheat-cutting weather with temperatures 90-100+ degrees with wind. The humidity is low, even at night. We were able to jump into the winter wheat Thursday and have been cruising along ever since.

Last year the wheat crop was one of the best they’d ever seen. This year, the winter wheat is outstanding again. Yield monitors indicate that fields have gone over 90 bushels per acre on fields that were fallow last season. Wheat-on-wheat fields have been around 60 bushels per acre, and some fields have been lower in the 30s due to weather conditions like hail.

While yields have been impressive, protein has been a source of frustration. It was hoped to be higher to fetch a premium. Wheat is tested right out of the field, and we’re sent off to a certain grain location. Several loads went well, and then one from the same field got rejected due to protein missing the threshold, which triggered a trip to another facility. Sampling can be such a peculiar thing. With grain prices the way they are right now, every little bit matters.

Tonight we celebrated birthdays. Both Thim and Conner D. shared their big day but are currently cutting on separate teams, so we had two celebrations this evening.

Thank you to our 2024 All Aboard Wheat Harvest sponsors: High Plains Journal, Lumivia by Corteva Agriscience, Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., Merit Auctions, Kramer Seed Farms, Shelbourne Reynolds, and U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. Laura can be reached at laura@allaboardharvest.com.