Marathon, Not a Sprint: The Journey Toward Wheat Harvest 2022

 

The journey toward Wheat Harvest 2022 is a marathon, not a sprint. Since I've never been much of a sprinter, that's a good thing. 

We began planting our 2022 wheat crop on September 21. And we're still at it. We have had a few days hiatus, beginning last Thursday when we got 2.25 inches of much-needed rain. We got another shower last Saturday. We may be back in the field later today. The verdict is still out.

Wheat is the primary crop on our dryland farm on the Stafford/Reno County line. And this year, we're going big: Randy is planting 1,900 acres to wheat. No wonder it's taking awhile!

One of my favorite photos from wheat planting so far was taken at sunrise. The day was brand new, so there wasn't time for anything to have gone wrong or broken down yet. You gotta love a Kansas sky, and this one looked painted with "Hope" to me.

It's what keeps farmers planting the next crop and doing the next task, time and time again. Randy has been doing that for 50 years.

Here in Central Kansas, we plant winter wheat. We plant it in the fall, and then it goes dormant during the cold months of winter before coming out of its "hibernation" and growing again next spring, then maturing for a June/July harvest.

We saved some of our 2021 crop in bins on the farm to use as seed wheat. It's binned during harvest, and then we load it into the truck to take to Miller Seed Farms near Partridge for cleaning. 

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They treat it with Cruiser, a fungicide, which helps protect the small wheat plants from disease. It's also treated with Vibrance Extreme, an insecticide which helps keep bugs at bay. That's what gives it its pinkish tinge.

Randy uses a grain-fill auger to transfer the seed wheat from the truck to the drill.

Randy wonders if he could get a Flex Tape endorsement commercial. Flex Tape is one of the tools in his repair kit. So far, so good.

 

So why is wheat our primary crop? First, we don't irrigate. Wheat is more drought tolerant than corn or soybeans. While the seed genetics are getting better and helping make dryland corn and soybeans a more viable crop in this part of the state, wheat is a proven performer in less-than-ideal conditions. (Of course, we would love to have ideal conditions, but that rarely happens.)

 

 

In this part of Kansas, the textbooks say that October 1-10 is the ideal time to plant wheat. Since we can't get the whole crop in the ground during that time, we start a little sooner. Many years, we don't finish before October 10 either. 

 

As with every planting season, I think about the optimism that seems to be part of the fabric of every farmer.

 

They put a seed in the ground and then wait like a kid on Christmas morning. 

 

 

They slow down as they pass a planted field, just waiting for that first glimmer of green. And then the miracle begins again for yet another season. 

 

And through sunrises and sunsets for some nine months, we hope and pray that the crop comes to fruition.

 

This wheat crop will be our final one as working farmers. Randy plans to retire after wheat harvest next summer. So this planting time has meant some time for reflection. But even as we turn the reins over to a younger farmer, our hearts will always be tied to the land. As farmers' kids before we were farming ourselves, it's part of our DNA. And we've been working together for more than 40 years. We are blessed.