How Do Farmers Know When It's Time to Harvest? 🌾

Learn what farmers look for—and enjoy 15% OFF sitewide

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July 10, 2026 9:15am EDT

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Every harvest tells a different story.

By the time a bag of flour reaches your kitchen, the story behind it has already been unfolding for nearly ten months.

This year's story has included drought, late freezes, unexpected rain, and some of the toughest decisions a wheat farmer has to make.

The berries haven't fully matured. The grain contains too much moisture, won't store well, and the flour quality suffers.

Mother Nature starts taking it back. Wind can shake berries from the heads, returning them to the earth. Rain can damage grain quality. Every storm becomes a gamble, and birds and other wildlife can take their share. That's why timing harvest is one of the most important decisions a wheat farmer makes.

As harvest approaches, the green fields you've seen all spring slowly turn into the rich golden color that gives us "amber waves of grain."

The heads become dry and brittle, and the berries become firm enough that you can't dent them with your fingernail.

We are constantly checking the moisture content of the grain. Wheat is typically harvested once it reaches the right moisture level—dry enough to store safely, but not so dry that valuable grain is lost during harvest.

Then comes the part no moisture meter can measure...

Experience.

After more than 40 harvests, Rick has learned to read a field in ways that numbers can't. He watches the forecast, walks the fields, feels the grain in his hands, and knows when it's time to fire up the combines.

Because after months of planting, growing, and caring for the crop...

You only get one chance to harvest it.