Recent rains are expected to bring an early wheat harvest to Douglas County and give area farmers hope that they’ll bounce back from last year’s financial struggles.

“Everybody’s kind of excited for the first time in awhile about the crops,” Steve Wilson, operator of the Baldwin Feed Co., said. “They think it has a chance to be a pretty good crop.”

Bill Wood, Douglas County agriculture extension agent, is predicting that this year’s wheat crop will be significantly better than last year’s average yield of 40 bushels per acre and the 6-year average of 41.7 bushels per acre.

“I bet some of it will get into the 50 bushels per acre range,” Wood said. “There are some fields that look very good, and quite a few that look better than average. I haven’t really seen any that look below average.”

Steve Williamson, an employee at Ottawa Co-op’s South Lawrence elevator, said the biggest risk to the area’s wheat crop was hail or wind.

“Wheat won’t have a moisture problem at all this year,” Williamson said.

Wilson said he expected the area wheat harvest would begin June 18, about a week earlier than normal.

An above-average harvest would be a welcome sight to area farmers. The Kansas Farm Management Assn. recently released figures that showed farmers in northeast Kansas had one of their worst financial years in recent memory.

According to surveys conducted by the group, the average net income for farmers in the area was $10,092 in 2002, down from $33,700 in 2001. A survey that polled only farmers in Douglas County showed the situation was worse. The group surveyed 30 farms in Douglas County and found the net income was a loss of $4,935.

“It just plain stunk last year,” Wood said.

Extremely dry weather took its toll on corn and soybeans, the two largest crops for Douglas County farmers.

“The fall harvest was really tough,” Wilson said. “This is my 11th year here, and it was the worst year I’ve dealt with.”

A good wheat crop would help area farmers, but it won’t ensure financial success. That’s because there are only about 5,000 to 8,000 acres of wheat planted in the county, compared with about 45,000 acres of soybeans and 25,000 acres of corn.

“A good wheat crop would help out a lot though,” Wood said. “A good yield just does something for your attitude. It is like any business, when you have a good day and sell a lot of product, it picks you up.”

Wood said the corn crop looked very good, but noted the area’s subsoil was still very dry.

“To carry the corn and the soybeans through the summer, we’re going to have to have some real regular rains,” Wood said. “The subsoil moisture was just totally depleted over the winter.”