Wheat yields vary, but prices are up

Mosaic virus across the wheat belt has led to a wide variance in yields for the 2017 harvest, but Paoli Farmers Co-op’s Steve Bahnsen and CHS Grainland’s Steve Young both mentioned a nice boost in the price of wheat to help make up for it for area farmers.

“It has more to do with the spring wheat conditions in the Dakotas and Canada,” said Bahnsen, explaining that stress on the northern spring crops has caused those wheat prices to rise, pulling the price of winter red wheat up along with it. Young said that this year’s price is about a dollar and a half higher than last year’s.

Bahnsen said Monday, July 10, that the price was over $4.70, but had been as high as $4.92.

The co-op operators estimated harvest to be 85-90 percent done as of Monday. With reported yields ranging from the mid-20s to mid-70s in bushels per acre, protein and test weights have varied greatly as well, as stressed wheat produces higher protein.

All things considered, it still looks to be an overall above average crop. “It’s certainly above the county’s historical average,” said Young.