Harvest of the U.S. spring wheat crop is nearly complete with only a small amount of harvest left in North Dakota and Montana. Rain continues to be an issue for some producers trying to finish harvest and has caused quality problems – particularly with vomitoxin in the last of the harvest. In North Dakota, 98 percent of the spring wheat has been harvested and about 94 percent has been harvested in Montana. At the spring wheat quality lab at North Dakota State University, just under 90 percent of the expected samples have been collected and analyzed. Quality data changed little from last week with protein still averaging 14.3 percent and falling numbers averaging over 400 seconds. Average test weight is 61.2 pounds per bushel (80.7 kg/hl). Damage is fairly low in the samples collected so far at 0.1 percent and total defects are 0.8 percent. The crop grades a No. 1 Dark Northern Spring.
Durum harvest is nearing completion with 85 percent of the North Dakota crop and 90 percent of the Montana crop harvested. The main concern continues to be disease damage in the last half of the crop. About three-fourths of the expected samples have been collected and analyzed at the durum quality lab, however, not all of the expected samples from counties in northwest North Dakota have been collected, so the current quality data doesn’t reflect some of the issues in that area.
Quality data is little changed from last week with protein at 13.7 percent and falling number averages over 400 seconds. Thousand kernel weight is averaging 39.6 grams and test weight is 60.4 pounds per bushel (78.7 kg/hl). Total defects are at 1.3 percent, with 0.3 percent being damage kernels. The crop currently grades a No. 1 Hard Amber Durum.