Sara Nicholson was combining the first 300 acres of the 3,000-acre Damron Farm wheat crop on June 10. Last year, they finished harvest on June 12.
Nicholson, lead combine driver for Damron Farms in Delhi, Okla., said little wheat has been harvested in the state as farmers wait out incessant rain that has stymied harvest across much of the Southwest.
“It’s a very late start,” she said. “Yesterday was the first day that felt like wheat harvest weather. We usually start cutting by May 28. This week looks better with temperatures in the 90s and clear.”
Promising crop
It’s a good crop, Nicholson said.
“Wheat is very good. We made an exceptional crop last year, 40 to 60 bushels an acre across the board. That’s hard to do back-to-back,” she said. “But this crop is just as good or maybe better than last year. The first field we cut made 53 bushels, the second 50 to 51, and one row wheat field cut yesterday made 40 bushels. That is exceptional for row wheat following cotton. We’re usually happy if row wheat makes 25.”
Nicholson said her father, Jack, and brother, Jake, who farm together and have separate operations, interseed wheat into standing cotton. “They do a lot of that,” she said. “Often, they use the wheat for a cover crop, sometimes for grazing out and sometimes for grain.
“My brother said the row wheat is as good as it has ever been. It was incredible last year, 30 to 35 bushels, which is exceptionally good for row wheat. This year, it’s pushing 40.”
Good test weights
Nicholson said early harvest test weights have been good.
“Test weight on the first cut was 64, and the next field was 63,” she said. “Rain always drops it down, but this field had not been rained on as much.”
A field she harvested June 9 was less muddy than a field about 20 miles away.
Open weather will speed things up, she said. “We have about 3,000 acres to harvest. We cut 3,200 last year and finished June 12. That shows how far behind we are. But every year is different.
“It’s late, but we are getting over it now. Usually, it takes a good three weeks to harvest. We cover a lot of ground when we can run, when we have days that start at 9 or 10 a.m. instead of 2 p.m. It all depends on the weather.”
Nicholson said a storm last week brought rain and some wind. “Fortunately, we did not get any hail,” she said. “Farther west, hard rain and wind pushed some heads down,” with some lying over but not on the ground.
Her dad and brother are nearly finished planting cotton. “My brother said it’s one of the best stands he’s seen in a long time,” she said. “Rain helped the cotton.”
The goal now is to get wheat out of the field. “We are typically the first ones to cut,” Nicholson said. “My dad would rather take a dock at 14 than let it set — because you just never know.”
Nicholson is optimistic about the crop, despite the late start: “The Lord blessed us back-to-back.”