Barley first crop to come off fields in 2008 harvest

Rahr Malting

By NEIL O. NELSON
Mark Steenson combined his first field of barley Sunday.
Rain Monday stopped the harvest.
Tuesday’s early rain didn’t help matters; barley sprouting in the swaths was suddenly problematic.
Still, Steenson is guessing there’s a “pretty fair crop out there.”
But it’s a long ways from being in the grain bin, he suggests.
All reports suggest the barley crop this year in the Hillsboro area, especially, is better than pretty fair.
No argument from Mark Steenson.
Swathed barley losing quality and weight is cause for nervousness, however.
No argument there from Steenson, either.
“But, we’re still fortunate,” he says. Out west, they don’t have a crop, he added.
“It’s tough out there.”
The farmers along Hwy. 83 and west had input costs, too. When there’s no little or no payback, the issue is more than just problematic, Steenson hints. 
It’s an absolute certainty, the Hillsboro farmer suggests.
“That’s hurts.”
Darrel Miller, general manager at Taft’s Rahr Malting Co., deals on a daily basis with farmers out west.
In the Beulah and Hazen areas, farmers are baling their barley. Numerous hailstorms have hit other areas surrounding Lake Sakakewa. Isolated areas around Minot are reporting zero to five bushels an acre.
Miller describes the crop in west central North Dakota as skimpy, at best.
“It’s pretty thin.”
Miller, who contracts with farmers and more than 30 elevators from Montana to west central Minnesota and from the Canadian border to the South Dakota border, has trucks arriving and departing the Taft elevator seven days a week.
The valley’s barley shipper sends its trucks to Rahr’s headquarters at Shakopee, Minn., where five malting plants process the grain crop for Anheuser-Busch and the Miller Brewing Company.
Crowded with trucks Tuesday, Miller suggested his crew of 15, truckers included, were catching up.
The valley’s barley harvest, meanwhile, was put on hold, thanks to the rain Monday and again early Tuesday morning.
Still, Miller expects the barley harvest in the heart of the Red River Valley to be completed by the end of next week.
The rush at his station will resume after the bean and corn harvests.
Meanwhile, the barley crop in the far-eastern regions of the state looks pretty good.
From Carrington east, Miller said, the barley is “excellent.”
The crop in and around Hillsboro is running 80 to 100 bushels and up to 99 plump, something Darrel Miller has never seen before.
The rich-looking barley — up to this week — was disease-free and not stressed.
“We’ve seen everything this year,” said Miller.
It’s also good to see barley contracted at $5 and $6.
Compared to last year’s $3.60 barley, there’s more reason to think this year’s crop is pretty fair.
“Anytime you can pull more than 90 bushel barley it’s super,” according to Ken Nichols, Traill County extension agent. The qualitiy harvest this year makes barley competitive with wheat. Nichols has also never seen 99 plump barley.
“That’s great. That’s a good quality crop out there.”
Barley last year averaged a disappointing 30 to 40 bushel, which tells Nichols the crop was caught by some high heat at some critical time period in the crop’s growing stage.
There are between 8,000 and 9,000 acres of Traill County cropland planted to barley.
The wheat acreage, meanwhile, is around 80,000 to 90,000 acres. There are 140,000 to 150,000 Traill acres planted to corn.
Soybeans account for 175,000 to 180,000 acres. Sugar beet farmers claim another 27,000 acres. Edible beans accounts for 30,000 to 35,000 acres. Nichols estimates around 4,000 acres are planted to sunflowers.
Statewide, 1.4 million acres are planted to barley.
Wheat claims the most North Dakota acres: 8.5 million. North Dakota corn is planted on 2.5 million acres. Another 3 million is planted to soybeans.
North Dakota is the leading barley producing state in the country, followed by Idaho and Montana.
“You’ve got to plant the crops that get you the most return,” Nichols explains.
Barley, this year, looks like it will be a good return for the farmer.
Discouraged by the continued softening of prices for corn (under $5) and soybeans (under $8), Ken Nichols is ever hopeful for a great overall crop year for Traill County.
“The corn looks excellent but it’s way behind. We need to get to the end of September without a killing frost.”
The Traill agent expects the wheat harvest will be underway by this weekend.
“It should be full-bore by next week.”
What we need, he stressed, is 80 to 85 degree temperatures, some nice sunshine and a little breeze.”
He’ll forego the breeze if it’s a tradeoff for nice, warm temperatures.
That isn’t asking for too much, is it? he asks.
Mark Steenson and Darryl Miller don’t think so.
That would be just fine with them.
Perfect, in fact.