Low protein and good test weights for PNW soft white wheat
Farm and Ranch August 25, 2011 The weekly harvest sample report from the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland shows this year’s soft white wheat crop in the Pacific Northwest has low protein, which is desirable, and high test weights. Cumulative results on samples from throughout the region tested so far show a protein of 9.1 percent, low moisture content at 9.7 percent and an average test weight of 60.8 pounds a bushel. As for the pace of harvest itself, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says it is still running well behind the normal pace. Rippey: “Winter wheat harvest is still ongoing as we approach the end of August in the northwest. In fact harvest has not even reached the halfway mark in Idaho, 47%, five year average pace there should be 75% and Montana also with quite a bit of harvest remaining, 79% harvested by August 21st. That is behind the five year average of 82 percent.” Those figures were from the start of this week. At that time Washington’s winter wheat harvest was past the halfway mark at 53 percent complete. In Oregon 71 percent of winter wheat was harvested. USDA’s Rippey says nationally 94 percent of the winter wheat crop is in the bin. Turning to the spring wheat harvest. Rippey: “And well underway now the spring wheat harvest, albeit delayed, 29% harvested by August 21st, five year average pace 56%. So for all of the northern plains and northwest and small grains it is a slow go this year due to the cool weather and wetness earlier in the season.” I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
