One of The Largest Harvest Seasons Is Underway in Oklahoma

Despite several days of rain, wheat harvest is well underway in Oklahoma. Wheat harvest officially began in Oklahoma on May 20, but a few bouts of severe weather and heavy rains caused a few days of delays.

According to the Oklahoma Farm Report, the 2024 wheat harvest season began 10 days ahead of normal schedule. The season kicked off in southwest Oklahoma the weekend of May 20 with over 100,000 bushels received between locations at Grandfield and Devol. Southwest Oklahoma was considered a "bright spot of the state for growing conditions this year" due to the large amounts of hail damage in other regions of Oklahoma.

Wheat is the dominant cash crop in Oklahoma.

During wheat harvest in Oklahoma, residents will constantly see multiple combines in the fields harvesting wheat. Most local farmers greatly depend on their wheat harvest each year, and they often have people come from other states or countries to help - typically called "wheaties."

@tychristen1466 #fyp #wheatharvest2024 ♬ original sound - Dean Friedel

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, "wheat is the most important crop raised on the Great Plains, and Oklahoma is one of the top wheat-producing states in that region." Wheat has been a crop in Oklahoma since the 1800s, and remains the dominant cash crop today. Oklahoma is one of the top 10 wheat producing states in the nation.

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Have the recent rains in Oklahoma hindered the wheat harvest?

Rain is beneficial to wheat... to an extent. Too much rain can be a detriment to the harvest. Based on the recent Oklahoma Farm Report that was issued May 28, the rains received before then have not impacted the harvest too much. There have been some delays due to rain and those are expected to continue with more rain in the forecast.

As for the wheat itself, wheat taken in at southwest, south central and central Oklahoma have had favorable test weights and yields. Early reports from the wheat harvested in northern Oklahoma have also showed promising yields and decent test weights. Although, "the state has received a large amount of hail damage in South Central, Southwest, and Northern, Oklahoma over the past two weeks, so this will show losses on overall production."