Winter wheat harvesting underway in central Illinois

Bloomington, Ill. (AP) - Combines are hitting the fields as winter wheat harvesting is underway in Central Illinois.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend often signals harvesting time for wheat, which is planted in the fall. Despite some early spring storms and a dry June, farmer David Brown said yields were promising this summer, according to The Pantagraph.

'œThe yield is about 75 bushels to the acre,'ť said Brown, who owns Brown's Fresh Produce in Bloomington. 'œWe just got the tallies done, and that would be considered a very good yield.'ť

It's above the state's 2019 average of 67 bushels per acre, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The agency's National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated 570,000 acres of wheat were planted in Illinois this year. Its updated crop report for the week of July 5 found that around 82% of the state's wheat had been harvested, compared to 66% at the same time last year and the five-year-average of 81%.

Brown said high temperatures throughout Central Illinois affected yields slightly, but not much. He said his wheat yield came in just under what it had been last year.

'œIt was down just slightly,'ť he said. 'œOf course, we've had a lot of hot temperatures. We did have some wind from storms earlier that did bring some of the wheat down in areas, probably lost a little from wind damage.'ť

Brown estimated they averaged around 100 bales of straw an acre, which he said was 'œoutstanding.'ť

'œWe were really pleased with the straw that we got out of there,'ť he said.

In southern Illinois, Mark Krausz, farmer and vice president of the Illinois Wheat Association Board, said he had 'œan excellent harvest'ť this year despite the wheat not getting ripe as quickly and carrying moisture.

'œIt was a challenge this year - it was always fighting the weather, always one day away from rain,'ť said Krausz, who owns land about 30 miles east of St. Louis in New Baden. 'œWe had an excellent wheat harvest, the test weight and the yield was good. The field conditions were great, also.'ť

Farmers measure their crop in bushels per acre and test weight, or how much weight is in a bushel. Krausz said his crop's test weight landed around 63 pounds, which is exceptional.

But farmers across Illinois might not have been as fortunate in their harvest after battling unfavorable weather conditions and fungal disease.

'œI would say in general, on the southwestern portion of the state, we probably just had slightly below an average crop,'ť Krausz said. 'œOn the east side of the state there were some untimely rains.'ť

Last year, historic flooding and heavy rain delayed planting seasons and devastated fields that were planted early. Fortunately, Mother Nature called for a dryer March this year, which allowed for farmers to plant on time.

'œWe had twice some of our high ground go underwater and we lost crops,'ť Krausz said. 'œThis year is slightly better from that standpoint, but it was so cold for so long and it was so unseasonable, so the corn that was planted early in our area was not even.'ť

With the wheat harvest out of the way, some farmers are already moving onto planting their 'œdouble crop'ť soybeans or gearing up for the corn harvest.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, farmers have been able to complete their work. Krausz said many are ready for a break, however, with added pressure and stress to stay on track.

'œIt's not too hard to social distance in the tractor cab,'ť he said, but 'œI think farmers are really ready, really prepared to take a break, and I just caution everybody to stay safe because we don't know where this thing is leading.'ť