We are hearing there are tough conditions in Texas right now for the harvesters. Due to drought conditions, Duffek Custom Harvesting is looking for wheat to harvest in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and North. That's Duffek Custom Harvesting.

BT Harvesting writes that they've got most of the crew in and they've already been making good progress on the harvest prep. They may have an early start in Texas, they wrote, that's BT Harvesting.

Thacker Harvesting came across some old pictures from their first years headed south. They were back from 95 and 96, taken anywhere from Alberta to Kansas. Times have sure changed, they wrote, check out that post from Thacker Harvesting on our Harvest USA Report Facebook page.

You'll also find the Oklahoma and Kansas Wheat Commission's reports. Behind every Oklahoma wheat field is a story most people never get to see. This year that story has included dry planting conditions, drought, heat, grazing pressure, and difficult decisions for farm families across the state. In places like Cotton County, some wheat is taken hit after hit, but it's still standing, still trying, and still telling the story of Oklahoma agriculture at its toughest. Get more information from Oklahoma from that Oklahoma wheat crop update.

In Kansas, according to the USDA NASS for the weekend in April 20th, winter wheat jointed is at 76%, ahead of 63% last year, and well ahead of the 51% for the five year average. Headed was 15%, ahead of 5% last year and the 2% average. Kansas wheat is getting ready quickly.

Find all that information that I talked about today right on our Harvest USA Report Facebook page. Also, this audio report is available there.

That's going to do it for today's report. Thanks again for listening and may God bless, I'm Brian Hale.

So we're talking to Michael Deacon, Conrad Montana.

"So how are things looking?"

"Okay, we've got some surface moisture, not a lot of deep moisture. Everybody's getting rolling on spring seeding and yeah so things look good for now but we definitely need some more here shortly. So that last storm that came through hit our country with we got about a half an inch of snow or maybe a courier. Did you get any of that? Yep, just a skiff of snow."

"Some beats nothing."

"Yep."

"So do you have any winter wheat?"

"We do yeah we had we did put in some winter wheat. Well and I think just right where we were here because there's some pretty good-looking winter wheat around but yeah ours looks a little spotty in areas. I was gonna go scout it out a little bit and kind of see if we needed to redo a little bit of it but yeah I don't know there's some pretty decent looking winter wheat around."

"Some pretty good-looking winter wheat in our in our area too."

"Good."

"Do you raise any canola down there?"

"We don't, no."

"There is some canola in the neighborhood I think isn't there?"

"Yeah there is some. I'll see canola every now and then, not a ton like up north, but yeah there's some grown for sure."

"Lentils and chickpeas and stuff like that are they good with dry land?"

"Yeah yeah there's quite a bit grown I know the lentil prices are way down this year so there's I don't think there's quite as much. I think the same on conventional chickpeas. We're doing some organic chickpeas and we haven't done that in a number of years so we'll see how that goes."

That was David Woodruff from Alberta Canada talking with Michael Deacon from Conrad Montana.

So we're talking to Jasper Henson, Scobey, Montana.

"So how's the equipment looking?"

"Equipment's ready to go. We'll probably be hitting for Texas in about three weeks the way it sounds. It's gonna come off early down there. There's not gonna be much of a crop but we still get a harvest what's there."

"So your people have some then, right?"

"Yeah, not a whole lot but there's a little bit there."

"Yeah, I've talked to some that they didn't think they're even gonna turn a wheel. There are people that had cattle grazing them all off. So you've got some some pulse crops that go down there don't you?"

Yeah, on our farm here we'll do chickpeas, yellow peas, lentils. We'll do some soybeans and some flowers as well.

"Those pulse crops historically they do okay for you?"

"Yeah, they they kind of been once at been the farm saver for the last few years and now this price this year they're lower priced but they'll be okay. So they are looking a little bit better than the cereal grains, right? Yeah, I still think with the lower price on lentils this year we're still bit off putting them in versus spring wheat."

"And then you've got the residual nitrogen that the legumes give you too."

"That's correct. Yeah, well I better get out of your hair you got stuff to do. Thank you for being there for us."

"Anytime."

That was Jesper Hansen from Scobey Montana with our co-host David Woodruff from Alberta, Canada talking about the poor conditions in Texas and getting started on the harvest.