Spot basis bids for hard red winter wheat were unchanged in the southern US Plains crop belt on Friday and country offerings were light while rains stalled the harvest in parts of Oklahoma, dealers said. Delays should persist as storms over the next five days are expected to generate 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) of rain from the Texas Panhandle through Oklahoma and southern Kansas, MDA Weather Services said in a note to clients. The showers also raise the threat of grain quality problems and lodging, where wheat gets knocked over, making it difficult to harvest.
Ahead of the rain, combines rolled this week from the Texas Gulf Coast through southern Kansas. Plains Grains Inc, a regional growers' group, said test weights from initial harvest reports varied widely, but most of the wheat ranged from 57 lbs to 59 lbs per bushel. Anecdotal reports put protein levels near 11.5 percent, Plains Grains said. The average protein level of the 2014 harvest was 13.3 percent.