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Kansas winter wheat crop takes brunt of winter cold snap

Northwestern Kansas farmer David Schemm says his winter wheat crop has been suffering from historic drought and extreme cold.

“We’re kind of at that northern edge.  As you go south of us, those guys did not get a stand on their wheat.  That’s where I get a lot more concerned about winter kill on that wheat that did not get a good stand.”

He tells Brownfield his area has not had measurable moisture in over two years. “When I go out there in the fields right now, the dirt is just dry and loose.  There’s not any moisture in it for it to freeze.”

And, Schemm says, there isn’t any relief in the forecast. “When you have those dry soils and the cold snaps, that’s when it gets so hard on the little plant as it is trying to survive in its dormant phase.”

He says there has been some snow showers in the area, but it barely accumulated.