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Photo by Brooklynn Peek -
The grain elevator at Wheeler Brothers Grain in Cordell stands ready to accept this year’s harvest PHOTO BY BROOKLYNN PEEK
“I’ve been here seven years and this will be the toughest one yet,” expressed Wheeler Brothers Manager Andy Davis. Wheat harvest is now underway as farmers in local and surrounding areas have begun to harvest their crop.
OSU Extension Experts have predicted a nearly 50% decline in wheat yields along the western side of Oklahoma.
“The main concern this year was drought. There’s a lot of fields that have already been insured out and disastered,” stated Davis. “I wouldn’t call this year a complete loss. Prices of fertilizer this year caused less people to put the adequate amount of fertilizer they needed to get the crop through this. With fertilizer being so high it caused a lot of farmers to cut back. The plants were stressed because of the dry weather and needed fertility to push it along.”
The ever increasing price of fertilizer, diesel and other necessities played a major role in the lack of success for some crops. Funds are limited and farmers have had to pick and choose where to spend their money.
“I, so to speak, look at farmers as my boss. If they aren’t making crops, I’m not making a living. Our farmers, our customers, are a big deal to us. We want them to succeed, we need them to succeed,” said Davis. “When I first came here in 2015, I saw it from both sides. The best thing that I can say is if a farmer is unable to be successful, then we aren’t either. Customer service and helping our farmers reach their full potential is what we’re after.”
As stated by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reports, abandonment for winter wheat in the United States is at an all-time high since 2002 with the highest levels taking place in Texas and Oklahoma.
“Although it’s been a tough year, I encourage my guys to live by Galatians 6:9, ‘So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up’. If we don’t give up, we’ll reap a harvest. This year is tough, it’s tough for everyone though. We’ll get through this and everything will be okay,” noted Davis.
The USDA Crop Production Reports for May have estimated 60 million bushels for the 2022 Oklahoma wheat harvest, sitting at a 48% decline from the 2021 harvest year. As claimed by the Oklahoma Mesonet, without being affected by recent rain fall, 65% of the state still remains in the moderate drought to exceptional drought category.
In addition to the lack of needed moisture, the heat conditions have been evaluated as poor to very poor for 47% of the state. As far as future weather predictions, there appears to be no end in sight when it comes to the extreme drought conditions for the western region.