Grain & Feed Manager - Managers Forum

[Chris Clukey]

Spring weather takes toll on grain harvest

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Combines are grinding through small grain fields across the state, but many growers are finding harvest to be a mixed bag.

The real estate adage, “location, location, location,” is proving to be the key to whether harvest is average or disappointing.

Dryland areas are suffering yield losses more than irrigated areas, but frost and hail have taken a toll as well. The rapid change from a wintry spring to hot summer weather seems to have caught many fields at flowering, the time when hot temperatures can cause yield loss.

Brad Brown, an extension crop management specialist with the University of Idaho at Parma, has been getting calls from farmers regarding shriveled kernels. In the Treasure Valley, growers who were able to get grain planted early seem to be reaping higher yields than those who battled weather delays.

(The rest is here: http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2008/08/27/news/ag_news/news44.txt)