Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to Oklahoma’s wheat fields and forecasters say the 2022 wheat crop will show the results of it.

Randall Varnell, manager of Wheeler Brother Grain Company’s Kingfisher location, addressed the upcoming harvest last Thursday when he spoke to Kingfisher Lions Club.

“We got about three inches of rain last September when we were sowing and about three inches in October,” Varnell recalled.

“Then it just shut off.”

Much of the state received a soaking rain last week, but Varnell said the benefits will be small.

“It was just dry until this week, which is too late for us,” he said.

Varnell said there were 115 million bushels of wheat cut in Oklahoma in 2021.

The projections for this year are about 55 to 60 million.

“And it’s also not going to make much hay,” Varnell added. He noted “one of our best fields” in Greenfield only yielded about one bale per acre.

He didn’t provide all bad news to Lions members.

“It does look like there is good potential for summer crops, which will help offset harvest,” he said.

The wheat market has also been soaring as the United States has the highest price for wheat in the world (lately more than $12).

Varnell noted that while last year’s harvest brought about 40 bushels, wheat was $5.

“This year we’re looking at 20 bushels at $12,” he said.

During his talk, Varnell said he felt the rains would push the beginning of harvest locally back toward the end of this week.

However, he said on Monday that some wheat came in over the weekend and more was expected on the Memorial Day holiday.

Wheeler Brothers, he said, will be ready.

“Harvesting is always a challenging and stressful time for producers and us,” he said.

“But it’s always fun and interesting and we always find a way to get through it.”