August 1, 2011 Colorado Winter Wheat Harvest Report – Wrap Up

Colorado Winter Wheat Harvest
(August 1, 2011)

On Monday, August 1, USDA estimated the Colorado winter wheat crop was 96 percent harvested, compared to 80 percent last week, 96 percent last year, and the five year average of 96 percent.

Most elevators contacted by Colorado Wheat said harvest had wrapped up, with a few along the Front Range still taking wheat but at a much slower pace.

Overall, elevators reported a smaller crop than last year’s crop with a record-breaking yield, but quite often intake exceeded expectations.

Tempel Grain said their intake was about 63 percent of last year’s crop. The crop was below average but still better than some of the worst drought years. They had expected yields to be a little better in the northern part of their intake area but some of those areas were hit by hail.

Cargill-Byers said the crop for their area was less than last year, but exceeded expectations as they took in 141 percent of their projection.

Cargill-Cheyenne Wells said their crop was much lower than last year but a little better than they had anticipated. Widespread hail affected much of the wheat in the area. Test weights were better than anticipated but protein was lower than anticipated.

Cargill-Burlington estimated wheat production in their area to be about 70 percent of last year’s crop, somewhat better than expected but still slightly below average.

Grainland at Haxtun said that their intake exceeded expectation and was better than their 15 year average, but not as big as last year’s crop.

CHS in Yuma, Otis and Akron said their wheat intake was less than last year and close to what was estimated for their areas. The crop was around 80 percent of last year’s crop.

Stratton Co-op estimated wheat production in their intake area to be average or slightly above average, exceeding expectations, while smaller than last year’s crop.

Commerce City Grain said the crop for their area exceeded expectations but was about average, less than last year’s large crop. Wheat quality was affected by the monsoonal rain.

Roggen Farmers Coop said the crop for their area was better than expected, and total intake was slightly above average, in an area that had some of the state’s poorest wheat on May 1. The crop was smaller than last year’s crop.

This is the final regular Harvest Report. We will issue another report on August 11, updating USDA crop estimate numbers, and another in approximately a month, when Plains Grains, Inc., releases average protein, test weight, moisture and milling and baking quality data from its sample testing.

On July 12, USDA raised the Colorado winter wheat estimated yield to 36 bushels per acre from the earlier estimate of 32 bushels per acre, for total production of 72 million bushels, with 2 million total acres harvested. This estimate compares with 105.75 million bushels produced in Colorado last year and the 10-year average of 67 million bushels. The next update of the estimated yield in the Crop Production Report will be August 11.

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