With harvest in full gear, producers are busy on the road and in the fields as they try to finish out what has been a bit of a strange year on the farm.
That strangeness continued Sunday as the wind howled and the milo fell. With grain harvest just getting underway, the 30+ mph winds were the last thing grain producers (or any producer for that matter) wanted or needed.
The wind completely laid down row after row of milo ready and waiting for harvest. Mike McDonald, Area Manager for Attebury Grain, LLC stated, “I would estimate about a 25% loss of milo from the wind on Sunday. Some fields had more and some had less but overall, it appears that every field had at least a little loss.”
With the harvest just getting started, grain growers have already been battling high moisture. McDonald feels as though the harvest will still be a good one. “It’s beginning to trickle in here,” he stated.
The milo delivered to Attebury Grain is primarily sent to the gulf and on to feed yards. Some of it does go to ethanol plants. McDonald feels that the milo demand is strong and will get stronger. “There is a pretty fair market price right now for milo.”
Last year, locals noticed the huge piles of milo on the ground in front of Attebury. McDonald says we will likely see that again. “Milo is a very forgiving crop and you can harvest it and let it set without much compromise of quality.”
In fact, the area just west of the Attebury elevator has recently been in the process of being cleared due to the buildings on that side being in such a state of disrepair. McDonald says we can look for piles of grain to be stacked over there this year as the harvest continues.
When asked if he felt the new Farm Bill would impact the amount of milo grown in our area, due to the fact that cotton was excluded completely from the bill, McDonald stated, “I think we could see a bit of a rise in the amount of grain planted here. I also see producers looking at other options such as late planted corn and short season soybeans.”
While Attebury locally is not big enough to handle much more than wheat and milo, the Attebury elevator in Lubbock can handle the corn that is grown and could possibly have room for soybeans as these crops’ popularity grows.
McDonald says that when a producer grows a product that must be hauled to the Lubbock operation, Attebury will usually send trucks to the field to haul the product for the producer.
McDonald states, “I feel bad for the producers right now as they try to figure out the Farm Bill and how it stands to impact them. At Attebury, we will do our best to give the grower viable options to make a profit.”
As producers finish this harvest and begin to make plans for next year, it will be interesting to see if cotton remains king or if the younger brother “milo” assumes the throne.
Source - http://www.brownfieldonline.com/
