The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1941-08-14
Wheat Harvest to
Bring S1,6OO,OO
This years yields will
shatter all records

Benton county's 1941 wheat crop
will return nearly three times as
much income as the 1910 crop, Fred
Wilson, chairman Of the Benton
county agriculture conservation as
ISOLATION, estimated this week While
last years income was approximately
$75, 900, present indications are that
wheat ranchers in the county win
sell this years crop for at least ST.
SOC, 900, Wilson said. es. Ii
Wheat acreage in the county was
increased from 72,000 acres to about
80, 900 acres. Coupled with this: is
the record breaking yield compared
with an average for the county last
year of less than IS bushels to an
acre. With the harvest half finish
ed, the conservative estimate for the
county is an average of more than
80 bushels to an acre, Wilson said.
Farm Credits Provided
5hird reason given by the
chairman for the 200 per cent in
come increase, is the rise in prices on
wheat. Most of last years crop was
sold for Is cents buShel, while in
dications are that this years crop
will sell for about 80 cents a bushel,
he said. -, ~ .
The wheat allotment with the 40
cent penalty on excess wheat is a
definite limitation to the total in
come and permits a fairly accurate
estimate Of the 1871 revenues. The
penalty must be paid on all wheat
sold over 20 percent of the average
yield for the last three years.
Growers who conform to the al
lotment program may store their
wheat instead Of selling it and bor-
rowing up to 6 percent of the parity
on the allotted wheat. Some of the
ranchers are selling all their wheat
while others plan to store their ex-
cess for lean years. Wilson said. The
huge 1911 crop will increase the
amount of allotted wheat for the
next three years, he added. " -
II :. Storage Problem Looms
Waldo Skuse, Benton county
agent, estimated that growers in
the county would pay $200,O00 in
penalties If they sold all their crops.
This would mean a total of more
than 400, 900 bushels of excess wheat.
Means of storing the excess wheat
and the allotted wheat for which
there is no current market may
prove a serious problem, both Skuse
and Wilson. reported So far the
grain warehouses and the growers
who have their own storage bins
have been able to handle what has
been harvested, but with half the
crop still in the fields, the storage
future is not too optimistic, Skuse
said.
Fred Kemp, Prosser warehouse
man, said that this week most of
the wheat is being taken to the
ELEVATORS and bins instead of the
warehouses. He said the privately
owned bins range in size from IL 900
bushels to 10000 bushels. Harvesting
will not be over for two or three
weeks On most ranches, Kemp said.
Harvesting Time Longer
The heavy yield has nearly dou-
bled the harvesting season. Last
year ranchers average so acres a day
but this year are able to do only half
as much, Wilson said. The delay
will not cause much loss as long as
the weather remains favorable and
the fields are protected from fire, he
added.
Fields on the Rattlesnake hills
are running about 10 bushels over
the yield from the Horse Heaven
ranches, dealers report. Reports
of 40 and 45lbushel acres are not
uncommon from Rattlesnake ranch