Early wheat

This spring’s warm temperatures have ripened our wheat crop way ahead of schedule. Kansas Ag Statistics officially shows that the crop is two to three weeks ahead of average. For us, that means harvest could be as early as late May. That would be a record-setting start.

My farmer is always anxious to harvest wheat as soon as possible, but losing three weeks of prep time is a big deal. We held our breath this past weekend when tornadoes pummelled Kansas. Some reports showed as many as 100 tornadoes passed through in just a few hours. As we watched the news, we couldn’t help but think about those whose crops were destroyed. My 10-year-old farmer spoke from experience when he said, “I hope they have insurance.”

Here’s what our fields looked like today. All the fields are “headed out” (grain emerged) and the seeds are pollinating. After that, the seeds will start “filling” or reaching maturity. The wheat will be golden and the heads will droop when the crop is dry enough to harvest.

Kansas ripening wheat field, April 2012

For now, we’ll enjoy these lush green fields with so much promise.