Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

This Week In Local Ag

Wheat farmers are “patiently” waiting for the wheat to turn golden, dry up a bit and then harvest will get underway.

Farming south and west of Kimball, Paul Heidemann said he has plenty of moisture on his wheat and hay millet. Paul thought it would be two to three weeks before his wheat was ready for his custom cutters--“because it is wet”. He said his hay millet “looks beautiful”.

Paul added a little extra to the interview in relation to the price of wheat. He said: “His brother sold 300 bushel of wheat plus a few dollars to the Chevrolet dealer one week before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (Dec. 1941).”

He continued, “Now, 300 bushel of wheat won’t even license a pickup.” Paul continued “We drove that pickup all through the war, because it was the newest pickup, well the newest vehicle in town.”

Paul knows the background of the auto industry during World War II but to refresh the memory of others -- About a month after Pearl Harbor, the U. S. government froze the sale and delivery of vehicles to consumers, then in February of 1942, the stockpile of new vehicles (520,000) was rationed for only “essential drivers” (doctors, police and fire departments, critical war workers and traveling salesmen). Auto manufacturers began building tanks, trucks, airplanes, Jeeps and other items necessary for the war effort.

Continuing with the current farm reports, Bushnell area farmer and rancher Clint Cornils relayed information about his operation of wheat, corn, millet and cattle.

Quite a bit of his wheat got nailed (or hailed) during the Memorial Day storm.

Not to be too discouraged, Clint said that the remaining wheat was “looking good” and he thought they would have “tremendous yields.”

Much of the wheat coming out of the winter was not looking too good, but now with all the moisture it is “looking pretty good.” He said he generally has custom cutters harvest his wheat.

Although Clint said the wheat was “turning pretty good,” he still thought harvest was going to be a couple of weeks from now.

He said his corn is “growing, of course it was late, just like everyone else.”

He plans on chopping his corn. He is still trying to get some of his millet in the ground.

Although Clint said they probably have had an inch and a half of rain in the past week, he talked to a guy north of Bushnell and he recorded 4 inches from Sunday to Sunday, June 30-July 7.

The pasture “looks great,” according to Clint and his “calves are looking good.”

 
 
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