By Calen Moore
Raymond Parrish has been farming wheat and corn in northern Oklahoma for most of his life. He says he’s seen a lot over the years on this land where the Kansas Red Hills turn back into prairie – both the good and bad.
Any day now, he’ll be done harvesting his hard red winter wheat crop, and he says it’s likely going to be one of the bad years.
“We were dry most of the winter, and it was probably the warmest February and March I’ve ever seen,” Parrish said.
He’s not alone. Across the 18 states that produce winter wheat, 45% of the crop is in poor or very poor condition, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest crop report. That’s following drought, wildfires and record-breaking high temperatures in the winter and early spring across much of the Great Plains.
Parrish is likely to yield only around 30 bushels of wheat per acre. Last year, he was doubling those numbers. He compared the financial strain to the Farm Crisis in the 1980s.
“I went through the ‘80s, and I think the ‘80s were easier to get through than this time now,” Parrish said.
Across the wheat belt
Hard red winter wheat is a staple crop in many Great Plains states. It’s one of the few crops in the region that is used more directly for human consumption – ending up on grocery store shelves as all purpose flour, tortillas and cereals.
Mary Eisenzimmer is on the board of the Nebraska Wheat Commission and also is a farmer in the Nebraska panhandle.
She said farmers take pride in providing good wheat for flour and other products. When they have a tough year, she said it’s more likely for consumers to feel it.
“I hope we're not going to be that short on supply this year that you're going to see that come in the market, but that could be a real potential,” Eisenzimmer said.
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