Small Grain Harvest on KMOT-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Small Grain Harvest | Video

Cliff Naylor

8/31/2009

This has not been a summer to enjoy the great outdoors, and we all remember how nasty the spring was.

And now, Mother Nature has finally provided North Dakota farmers with a run of dry, warm weather and producers are racing to harvest their small grains.

After a cool, wet summer, farmers are glad to hop into the combine and reap what they sowed.

The clock that ticks down to North Dakota`s first frost is running and the state`s farmers are in high gear trying to harvest this year`s wheat crop before it freezes.

"I don`t ever remember combining this late in the year, Mother Nature is helping us today," says Roger Aberle, a farmer in Menoken.

On average, the third week of September is when the first frost occurs in North Dakota and Aberle is concerned his sunflower and corn crops won`t be ready to harvest for at least another month.

"With the cool summer we`re behind on heat units," he says. "We need probably 30 some days of good weather before frost. We`ve got our fingers crossed.

The crop that has been harvested has produced high yields. Aberle says his barley averaged 65-70 bushels an acre and his wheat is close to 50.

"Any time you can get over 40 bushels around here, we`re real happy," Aberle says.

He isn`t happy about the current quotes for commodity prices.

"It`s a shame, last week barley come in at a $1.40 straight across the board for feed and malt, that`s just sad and wheat`s down," says Aberle.

Some of Aberle`s wheat was contracted back when prices were higher, but most of what he`s harvesting is going to be stored until prices come back up. Right now, all he`s worried about is getting his wheat in the bin.

Aberle farms with his brothers, Ron and Randy, near Menoken.

BACK TO REGIONAL STORIES

Search News Stories

BACK TO NEWS HOME

Sister Stations: KFYR TV in Bismarck, KUMV in Williston, KQCD in Dickinson