Harvesting Wheat: Read the Grain, Watch the Weather
Wheat is ready when the grain is dry enough to store and the crop has finished filling — not on a set date. Harvest too early and the grain is too wet to keep; too late and you risk shattering and losses in the field. The signs are in the grain and the weather, and a well-set combine protects what you've grown.
Step by step
- 1
Judge by the grain, not the calendar
Wheat is ready when the grain is firm and dry enough to store safely, which varies with your season and weather. Check the grain rather than counting days from planting.
- 2
Harvest in dry conditions
Plan around dry weather and avoid harvesting when dew is on the crop. A run of dry days gives you grain that stores well and reduces losses.
- 3
Set the combine to save grain
Adjust the header height, cylinder, and fan so you thresh cleanly without cracking grain or leaving it behind. Check behind the machine and fine-tune as conditions change through the day.
- 4
Store dry, keep it cool
Grain that goes in too wet spoils. Get it to a safe storage moisture, keep it cool and monitored, and it holds its quality and value.
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