Washington Wheat Harvest Pt 2

Washington Wheat Harvest Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Mid-harvest reports for Washington's 2019 wheat crop are average to above-average, putting to rest earlier weather worries.

The downside, that has farmers upset, according to

Washington Association of Wheat Growers Executive Director, Michelle Hennings, is that they're only getting between $5.20 to $5.98 per bushel for their efforts ...

HENNINGS ... "It's been like this for a couple of years. Our break-even is actually $650, not $550, so we're quite a bit below it."

Hennings says recent numbers don't look any better ...

HENNINGS ... "USDA just came out with a report that really made our prices drop this week, roughly about .36 cents per bushel for Hard Red, and .16 cents for White Spring, and .13 cents for Soft White Wheat. And, to have a price fluctuate like that makes farmers very nervous because we just aren't to the point where we can really cover our costs that well."

So, bottom line? ...

HENNINGS ... "It would be great if our price would be above our break-even point."

Hennings says it would sure help if we could just fix our trade problems ...

HENNINGS ... "Yes, USMCA, we, the Washington Wheat Growers were very disappointed that Congress did not bring the bill to the floor before their August recess. So, then we were told that September they would address it and now there's rumors of December and they just keep kicking the can down the road."

Listen tomorrow for more on Washington wheat and the frustration brought on by unsettled trade agreements.

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