Friday afternoon, Jerry Rush was perched in the cab of his combine, churning his way through the 2023 wheat harvest in southern Ellsworth County.

“It’s short and harder to cut,” he said. “It was a year for short wheat.”

The crop’s performance is due in part to lack of rain throughout the growing season.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows much of central Kansas is in a “severe” or “extreme” drought. Most of Ellsworth County falls under the “extreme drought” conditions.

According to Kansas State University’s Mesonet, which measures daily precipitation totals, the Lorraine station measured about an inch of rain in the last week. Even with more than 2 inches in the last two weeks and about 5 inches in the last month, overall, moisture is down almost 14 inches for the last 365 days.

Rush, a third-generation Ellsworth County Farmer, said yields across the 1,100 acres he will harvest are low.

“Maybe ’89 was the last time it was this bad,” he said.

At the Ellsworth Co-op, general manager Riley Zamrzla said yields are averaging between 15-30 bushels per acre.

“There are some not making even 10, and some are making

“I’m hearing from some of the older guys is this is the worst they’ve seen it.”

Riley Zamrzla

Ellsworth Co-op general manager 40,” he said. “I’m hearing from some of the older guys is this is the worst they’ve seen it.

“There are some that are poor enough that it’s not worth it, or some the weeds have taken over; it’s not worth it.”

The recent rainfall bolstered weeds, and Zamrzla said some farmers had their fields sprayed to treat them.

“Then you have to wait a certain number of days before you can cut them, so there’s a lot of that going on,” he said. “Between that and these frequent rains we’ve been getting is really dragging it (harvest) on.”

On Monday morning, Zamrzla estimated harvest near Black Wolf and Kanopolis was nearing the halfway mark.

Test weights were in the 58-59 range, he said.

“Protein has all been really high,” Zamrzla said. “Anywhere from 13.5-14.5 around the state. There’s high protein everywhere. It’s unusual.

“Protein gets higher when the wheat is stressed. It makes sense for this year. Most years you’ll have 11.5 protein. Anything 12 and above is really good.”

Mother Nature continues to play a role as harvest continues.

“This year is just a weird year due to the frequent winds,” he said. “Yesterday it was damp in the morning and there was hardly any wind to dry things out, so guys couldn’t get started until 4:30 or 5. Generally, it’s 95 degrees and the wind is blowing.”