Wheat Harvest and Challenges Pt 1
I’m Bob Larson. Wheat harvest in Washington is all but over with for 2020 and farmers have weathered the storm in decent shape from a production standpoint.
Of course, according to Washington Association of Wheat Growers Executive Director Michelle Hennings, growers in different regions saw varied results …
HENNINGS … “It’s been all over the board, depending on the moisture. The rains were hit and miss in certain areas. So, if you get into the Benton County area, they did have some devastating crop loss there on a few fields. In the middle of the state, it was average to above average, but then there were still some areas that were dry.”
But, Hennings says the results weren’t all bad …
HENNINGS … “And, then as you’re moving to Whitman County and Spokane County, Whitman County had record bushels. They had an excellent crop over there, and then Spokane is having a good crop as well.”
Now, Hennings says if they could just get better prices …
HENNINGS … “Yes, the unfortunate thing is our wheat prices are really down and so, you know, you have a lot of farmers that are looking to try and sell their wheat to pay off their bills.”
Hennings says it’s pushed some farmers to unfortunate lengths …
HENNINGS … “I have heard of a lot of farmers participating in the federal loan program, and so we need the wheat price to come up.”
Hennings says break even is about $6.50 and right now we’re at about $5.00 and below so it’s very frustrating.
Tune in tomorrow for a little good news for wheat farmers.
