RRV small grain harvest fast approaching

Like the Red River Valley farmer, Alton Grain Terminal, BNSF's giant grain shipper south of Hillsboro, is gearing up for the fast-approaching small grain harvest.

By NEIL O. NELSON

Rain in the valley is seldom discouraged.

Generally, farmers of the Red River Valley welcome it.

This week was no exception; however, the more than 3 inches that swamped Hillsboro late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, while welcomed, certainly didn’t overstay its invite.

“It went to the low spots in a hurry,” said Hillsboro farmer Lynn Kritzberger.

“But we needed the rain,” he added.

“We just didn’t need the gully wash it turned out to be.”

Sparked by a lightening firestorm, the line of thunderstorms stretching from northern Grand Forks County to southern Traill County that moved through the heart of the Red River Valley around 1 a.m. Tuesday eventually ran out of gas over Wisconsin.

There were reports of some pea-sized hail in the rain that pounded Hillsboro, but the damage was minimal, if that.

The rain and wind also lodged isolated crops in the area. On one piece of cropland east of Buxton a winter wheat crop was pushed to the ground so perfectly Traill County Extension Agent Ken Nichols swore the crop was “windrowed.”

The lodged crops might complicate the approaching harvest, said Nichols.

And that’s only if the farmer has to swath the crop, rather than straight-combine it, he explained.

Despite Monday night’s heavy rain, prospects for another good crop are excellent, according to the Traill County agent.

“There should be a good crop out there.”

There is no doubt in Barry DickHoff’s mind that a better than average crop will be harvested this year.

This week’s rain couldn’t have been better timed, especially for the row crops, said DickHoff.

“The two to three inches we got,” he explained, “set the beans and is pretty close to setting the corn, for enough moisture.”

The crops surrounding Hillsboro, DickHoff is convinced, are as good as any in recent memory.

There aren’t many, if any, expanded areas where the crops are unduly stressed and a person would have to look long and hard to find where standing water has damaged yield potential.

“There’s very good potential for all the crops,” DickHoff said this week.

The Halstad Elevator agronomist said the corn crop, which is 10 to 14 days behind the average year, will need frost-free temperatures into late September or early October.

We’ll need that kind of time frame to “make the corn crop,” he said.

“We just need to get into that first week of October without a frost.”

DickHoff expects Hillsboro’s wheat crop will start coming off in 10 to 14 days.

Before Monday night’s rain, farmers were ready to start harvesting barley.

The rain will delay the barley harvest a day or two, DickHoff and Ken Nichols agree.

“We’ll see barley and winter wheat harvested in the next week,” Nichols said Tuesday.

The Traill extension agent agreed with Barry DickHoff on the corn crop forecast.

“If we can get into October we’ll be in good shape.”

It all depends on the weather, he said, adding how the recent warm weather was welcomed by the valley’s corn growers.

“Row crops love warm weather.”

Nichols is concerned that the markets have taken a “downward turn” in recent weeks.

The corn is down to $5, he noted.

“This after we were talking $10 corn, now it’s down to five bucks.”

But the wheat is still over $8 and the soybeans over $12, Nichols added, optimistically.

The beans have brought a little stability to the markets and sunflowers are at $26, he added, again optimistically.

“Hopefully, we won’t see any more decreases in the markets.”

Lynn Kritzberger is also hoping the markets have bottomed out.

Our costs are not dropping proportionately, he suggested.

“So the prices better stay up there.”

While there has been talk of 100-bushel wheat this year, Kritzberger expects most of the RRV wheat crop will be around 60 bushel.

Kritzberger, whose farm lost two-thirds of its sugar beets to root rot last year, said the disease is back again.

“You never completely get rid of it.”

That said, the sugar beets is other directions from Hillsboro — north, south and east — are looking good.

Meanwhile, the corn crop, Kritzberger and Jerry Tufte, of Hillsboro, agree, is as good as any in recent years.

“It’s lush,” hinted Kritzberger.

“Thick,” said Tufte.

“That’s a damn good crop out there,” Tufte added.

“Everything looks good.’