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Wheat harvest

Rowdy Ranch

Well-known member
When will wheat harvest begin in your area? Know it is over for some and others not fortuate to have one due to weather conditions. Here in central KS should be in full swing 7 days from today. Been trying to get cattle checked and fences while husband and boys getting combines ect. ready.Also trying to get the house in order and some food in freezer so like always-can grab and go. Did make one trip to town to stock up,but will have to go again for a few odds and ends. We could use some rain-some places around here had 2-5 in.and hail-really did not need that tho. Have a great day :D
 

Cowpuncher

Well-known member
Our harvest in SE Colorado usually begins between the 25th of June and the first of July.

Our wheat is going to be real spotty and if it averages 10 bu per acre we will be lucky. The only thing is that the price is pretty good,

We have had rain in the last couple of weeks - if it had come 4 weeks earlier, we would be thinking about how to spend it. The crop is poor enough for insurance, but it will have to be harvested to qualify for insurance.
 

AX-

Well-known member
Northeast Colorado will start between July 1-10th. The wheat is poor and will probably average 15-22 bushel/acre. Too many years of drought here! :mad:
 

cowboyup

Well-known member
September into October. Last year finished on Halloween. We are having to water our spring wheat up so will probably cut into the harvest.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
The few people who do wheat around here seem to cut in July... The neighbor has some and it just started to head out recently, I know 2 weeks ago I had a bull get out into the field and it hadn't headed yet..
 

WB

Well-known member
We normally harvest spring wheat in July/August but with the drought the insurance has already zeroed it out. No wheat harvest this year.
 

Haytrucker

Well-known member
Sounds like Katrina is baling hers. Sorry to hear it but hopefully it turns out some better than straw, usually is. I'm south west of there, in Ne. panhandle, for better or worse it looks like harvest will be going wide open by July 10th. About a week ahead of normal, and its going to be a short crop. We had a real good start, and in March it laid under wet snow instead of blowing away, but no moisture and summer temps since early May have taken their toll.
 

Rowdy Ranch

Well-known member
Well, wheat harvest did start with test cutting earlier this wk. and is now full swing for a while,but may run into green straw along creek areas. So far the test weight is 60 plus and the yield is good. Some drought stress in areas,but nothing like lots ofyou have it. Well hope all goes well for everyone.I meant to take the digital camera with yesterday, but did not so will try to remember it today.
 

Karl

Well-known member
If it stays hot and dry, in a couple days. Thats about 2 weeks early. 20 bu. maybe some of ours wont make anything :(
 

katrina

Well-known member
I have a question that maybe you all can answer for me: The wheat hay is gumming up the inside of my baler..... What does a person do to get it cleaned out after I'm done??? Got 83 acres left.... Yaahooo!!!!
 

Jason

Well-known member
3 options Katrina, find some straw to bale, or let it dry for a day or 2 then use a drywall scraper or just leave it.
 

Jason

Well-known member
It should. I have alfalfa leave a gummy residue sometimes though. But then again that is baling dry alfalfa with a dew.

Straw might feel soft but is the most abrasive thing to bale. It will shine a baler in just a few bales.

If your getting a fair bit of gum the heads must be pretty doughy still. You might get a few bales that silage on you. Not a problem usually, but makes it hard to sell if you aren't feeding it yourself.

I am assuming these are big squares. They should have some good weight.
 

katrina

Well-known member
Yes, Jason.... The wheat was in the milk stage.. Real green... The beards are yellowish and still soft.... I didn't jack up my pressure and the bales I baled yeaterday aren't quite as tight as I needed.. Sheeze..... The bales weigh around 1100 pounds..... I'm learning......... Too, I've found that you just drive down the middle of the windrow and not follow your arrows on your monitor and the arrows will go away......... If you follow your arrows it will make ya a nice quarter circle bale... Don't ask me why....
It looks like real good feed.. We will grind it this winter..... I will get a feed value sample and let you know how it is..... If I survive baling.......
Oh yeah, the windrows are in some places as wide as my pickup..... Slow going for me......
 

Jason

Well-known member
It's surprizing how good some of the "salvage" feed is. We will bale about half of our seeded acres as greenfeed on purpose because it mixes so nice with alfalfa in the rations.

We had round bales last year at 66" weigh 1400 pounds. The cows loved them mixed with a bale of hay.
 

katrina

Well-known member
So we're doing the right thing???? Hubby is talking about buying calves this early fall... So the wheat bales will tone down our alfalfa... Been there done that......
 

Jason

Well-known member
It's too late to ask if your doing the right thing :wink: but for the record how can you go wrong having feed?

Chopped greenfeed and alfalfa is like candy for calves. They can really gain on it.

I had straight chopped greenfeed one year and weaned onto it, it was cut dead green and was very potent, I remember getting calves gaining 6 pounds a day through weaning stress and all the first 30 days. I backed them off as I figured that was a bit too fast to grow.
 
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