Washington Wheat Harvest Pt 2

Washington Wheat Harvest Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. As we tie up the loose ends of another Washington wheat harvest, most growers appear to be pretty happy with the results.

Washington Grain Commission's Scott Yates says test weight was well above 60 pounds and while the protein was a bit lower than normal, it was well within the acceptable range. And yield?

YATES ... "Yield was excellent. I mean, in some places they might have had double crops and by that, I mean their average yield was 40 bushels and they got 80 bushels. I mean, that was extraordinary, but in most places, we're talking about yields being perhaps 10 to 20 percent above the average proven yield. So, yes, I mean, the yield means money in the bank and so it's very, very positive."

But, Yates says while prices have held steady, there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding trade ...

YATES ... "We are faced in Washington with almost a double whammy! We are dealing with, of course, the tariff issues with China and the impact that those have on our prices here. I was just reading a column by an agricultural economist at WSU, Randy Fortenbery, where he estimated that prices are 37 cents below what they would be if we didn't have this China tariff problem."

And secondly, Yates says not be part of trade agreements like the TPP may not be hurting us too much yet, but it will soon and especially hard for Washington growers who export 90 percent of their wheat.

We'll have more on the trade war impact on wheat next week.

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