US hard red winter wheat cash bids in the southern Plains were steady to firmer on Friday as harvest moved slowly north. The Gulf track bid climbed 2 cents a bushel but sellers remained largely sidelined as harvest progress was sluggish and crop yields and quality were in question.
Wheat harvest was about 20 percent completed in Texas and about 1 percent completed in Oklahoma and is focused on the south-west part of the state, according to Plains Grains Inc, a regional wheat growers group. Persistent rainfall has slowed harvest progress. Yields in Texas are wide-ranging, reported from 10 bushels per acre to more than 50 bu/ac, and in Oklahoma the yields reported so far range from 15 bu/ac to 20 bu/acre, Plains Grains said. Protein premiums for railcar wheat to and through Kansas City were 1-5 cents a bushel higher for 12.20 percent protein through 13.40-pro wheat and unchanged otherwise.