Wheat grower Don Hineman of Dighton, Kansas, couldn’t believe his good luck when early September rains dumped 3 to 5 inches on parched dry fields, setting him and other Lane County farmers up with near-perfect planting conditions.
But the mild and even hot conditions since then combined with superb topsoil moisture have resulted in wheat stands that are getting bigger and bigger each day. Consequently, Hineman is starting to worry that the big wheat might lead to big problems later this winter.
He’s not alone in his concerns. Other western Kansas farmers who also got great planting rains this fall are beginning to wish they could put the brakes on plant growth.
Another grower says many of these fields look like they would in April. “You can’t even see the soil between the rows. The heavy growth has completely canopied these fields.”
