Agricultural News
Oklahoma Wheat Crop Predicted at 130.65 Million Bushels for 2016- The Best Crop Since 2012
Wed, 04 May 2016 18:16:05 CDT
Oklahoma's Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop may produce the most total bushels since 2012, as the Extension and Private Industry Crop Scouts that checked the crop came up with a total production estimate for 2016 of 130.65 million bushels. The production was based on 34.4 bushels per acre and 3.82 million acres being harvested for grain. In 2012, Oklahoma farmers had a bumper crop of 154.8 million bushels- since 2012, they have struggled to stay at or above 100 million bushels annually. The production in 2012 was achieved with a 36 bushel per acre yield on a half million more harvested acres.
Each area of the state was reported on Wednesday morning at the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City- and after the meeting, Radio Oklahoma Farm Director Ron Hays talked with the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission Mike Schulte about the 2016 crop potential. You can listen to their conversation about the crop by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
The graphics that showed each region of the state has been posted on our website- click here to see each region and details of expected production on a county by county basis in the wheat belt portions of the state.
After the scouts reported, the audience of grain elevator managers and wheat industry leaders participated in a poll of what they believe the crop could achieve- and the Oklahoma Grain and Feed Association survey of the 2016 crop shows an average production number of 128.48 million bushels, based on an estimated yield of 33.63 bushels per acre on 3.82 million harvested acres.
Wheat harvest appears to be three weeks away in southwestern counties- and closer to thirty days away north of I-40. However, the crop scouts said that timeline could change if the weather stays really cool(slow down) or if hot weather rolls into the state(the timeline could accelerate.)
The scouts all said there were issues found in many fields across the state- including limited freeze damage, foliar disease, pests(including the Bird Cherry Oat Aphid) and hail. However, most of the scouts saw good yield prospects despite the problems mentioned, primarily because of good planting conditions last fall and generally favorable moisture conditions much of the year.
Only Kim Metcalf of Farmers Grain Company in Pond Creek who reported about the eastern counties of North Central Oklahoma saw real yield reduction across his four counties. He reported multiple problems had taken their toll and he predicted only thirty three bushels per acre yield in the four counties that are traditionally the most productive wheat counties in Oklahoma annually. Problems include rains arriving almost too late, two episodes of freeze, extensive foliar disease and not as aggessive response to it as was needed by farmers and Bird Cherry Oat Aphids.
The first USDA measurement of the 2016 Oklahoma winter wheat crop(and winter wheat across the US belt) comes next Tuesday, May 10th when USDA releases their Crop Production Report at 10:00 AM central time.
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