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Mixed results for SD spring wheat

Spring wheat harvest has mixed results so far in South Dakota.

In the eastern part of the state, Anthony Bly with South Dakota State University Extension says there’s not much to harvest. But in western South Dakota, custom harvester Jim Deibert says yields are good.

“40 bushels/acre is pretty standard, but this year, the crop is about 60 bushels/acre. I don’t know what the protein was, but it was weighing 61 pounds. We were putting it all in bins,” Deibert says. “If we have 3 good, long days, we’ll be done with spring wheat harvest.”

In central South Dakota, Todd Yackley tells Brownfield the spring wheat is doing ok with average protein levels and good test weight. He says the spotty rains in the growing season were important.

“We cut some nice spring wheat so far. There were a couple areas in the county that caught early June rains,” says Yackley. “I remember dumping the rain gauge myself. We had 80 to 90 hundredths in this one area and it put 30 to 40 bushels on the wheat. Just that one little rain made quite a difference.”

USDA says South Dakota’s spring wheat harvest is 38% complete, behind last year and the five-year average with 36% of the spring wheat rated fair.