Great Bend Tribune
Published May 23, 2021
As of May 18, the Drought Monitor report is indicating a significant improvement for soil moisture conditions.听None of the states are听currently even in moderate drought.听The improvement is most significant in Western Kansas with only abnormally dry conditions along the Colorado border and parts of Southwest and South Central Kansas.听Stafford County is still mostly abnormally dry.听None of the rains after Tuesday are reflected in the report.听Most of the southern third of the state is still abnormally dry.听The six to ten-day outlook (May 25 to 29) indicates above normal temperatures and slightly above normal precipitation for us with a much greater chance of above-normal precipitation for the eastern portion of the state. The eight to 14-day outlook (May 27 to June 2) indicates normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation.听
As we enter the last week of May, let鈥檚 take a look at where we are crop-wise:
- The annual wheat tour is indicating good potential across the northern part of the state with an estimated yield of almost 60 bushels per acre and that seems to hold for all three days of the tour.听The overall estimate is for 365 million bushels.听Naturally, a great deal can happen between now and harvest.听Looking around the SWAG合集 County area, wheat looks good.听There are some thin stands but overall the condition appears to be good to excellent.听 With good soil moisture and warm but not hot temperatures, the yield potential is there.听 Harvest should be a bit later than usual over the last twenty years but that could change if conditions turn hot and dry.听 The biggest threat currently is leaf diseases such as leaf and stripe rust for susceptible varieties along with Fusarium head blight.听There has been a great deal of aerial applications with fungicides recently as the window for application is now pretty much closed.
- The alfalfa crop also looks good and most producers were able to cope with early insect damage.听The biggest concern now is trying to swath and bale the first cutting with the wet, humid conditions.听 As it delays into full bloom and beyond, the crop tends to become stemmier, and will lose some quality.听
- Some corn is in the ground and has emerged.听However, it鈥檚 now May 23rd and its time is ticking away, especially for full-season hybrids.听The crop really needs to be in the ground now.听Some producers may decide and try to switch to an earlier hybrid if seed is available.听Producers south of the river on the sandier soils appear to have more corn in the ground and will be able to plant more quickly than those north of the river.听Perhaps the biggest concerns are twofold. Especially for dryland corn, the risk of trying to pollinate and develop seed may be pushed into the hotter, drier part of the summer.听Secondly, depending on conditions, the harvest may be delayed and as we approach October, grain typically dries more slowly.
- There are soybeans in the ground and some fields have emerged.听There is still more than adequate time for beans to go in the ground and the same holds true for grain sorghum.
- Overall, while not perfect, conditions are promising for the 2021 wheat harvest and the summer row crops.
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