Hayden on Harvest: South Texas wheat harvest begins amid humidity and truck shortages

Custom harvesting crews officially began the 2026 South Texas wheat harvest after several days of delays caused by high humidity and wet field conditions.

Operators said humidity levels remained above 90% during the opening days of harvest, slowing wheat dry down and limiting harvest windows.

Crews initially cut a 120-acre wheat field after moisture levels tested near 12.5%, but additional fields remained borderline wet for several days before harvesting could continue.

Harvesters repeatedly sampled fields while monitoring moisture levels, which often ranged between 13.5% and 14% before conditions improved enough to continue cutting.

The first major field harvested during the season consisted of irrigated wheat, which operators said produced significantly stronger yields than expected compared to dryland wheat conditions across much of Texas.

Combine monitors showed portions of the irrigated field yielding between 60 and 68 bushels per acre, with the overall field averaging about 50 bushels per acre after accounting for weedy sections around field edges.

Operators noted that many dryland wheat acres across Texas continue to struggle because of drought conditions, with some fields expected to yield only 10 to 20 bushels per acre, if harvested at all.

“We are extremely blessed to have a wheat crop here in South Texas,” the operator said while discussing the importance of irrigated production.

Weed pressure also emerged as an early concern during harvest. Crews reported increasing weed populations throughout several wheat fields, along with black residue developing on wheat plants and harvesting equipment.

Truck availability created additional delays during harvest operations. At one point, grain carts, trucks and combines were all full while crews waited for additional trucks to haul grain from the field.

Operators temporarily discussed unloading grain from one combine into another to keep harvesting equipment moving while waiting on transportation.

Despite the challenges, crews continued harvesting while searching for additional wheat acres later in the season as harvest operations move northward.