The flood gates have opened on the 2021 wheat harvest in Kingfisher County.

A combination of clear, dry weather and hot temperatures – 100 degrees registered on Thursday – have allowed harvesters to start earlier and stay later in the fields.

Wheat is flowing into elevators countywide in record amounts.

Keith Boeckman, manager of the CHS Elevator in Hennessey, called the harvest “above average” with test weights generally running above 60 pounds per bushel with many reported yields in the 50 bushels per acre range.

John Schaefer, manager of the Cashion Grain and Feed Elevator, said harvest has started there but some farmers are still waiting for crops to ripen.

He predicted the harvest there could continue for some time.

“I haven’t made any plans for July 4^th,” he said wryly.

The cool, wet spring and some later maturing varieties are primarily responsible for the slow start.

“We’re just getting started,” he said.

He said the wheat being harvested is running in the 60-bushel-per-acre range

Jason Kroener, CHS region manager, reported from the Okarche Elevator Thursday that harvest was going “hot and heavy.”

He estimated that the Okarche vicinity harvest was past the half-way mark with yields above average and the grain coming in “clean” and of high quality.

I don’t know if it’s because the fields are cleaner or if the combine operators are more skilled but the wheat coming in has very little trash,” he said.

Kroener reported the Kingfisher area harvest is well under way while the Hinton location is past one-half complete.

Randall Varnell, manager of the Kingfisher Wheeler Brothers Grain Elevator, reported continued heavy harvesting with above average yields and excellent quality.

He noted that while there are custom harvesters in the area they are becoming anxious to head north where the Kansas harvest is ready to start.

Varnell said wheat throughout out the state is all getting ready for harvest at the same time, noting that the Wheeler Brothers location at Alva in northwest Oklahoma began taking samples at about the same time Kingfisher did.

He said test weights on the local crop remained good, generally 60 pounds and above.

A spokesperson for Tim Weber, manager of the Wheeler Brothers Elevator at Omega, estimated the harvest at the half-way point with high quality wheat still arriving.