A call to a few area elevator operators Tuesday found the 2018 wheat harvest is barely underway in the Newsgram reading area.

No one is excited about harvest this year because of the drought conditions, late freeze, in some cases hail and other detrimental factors.

Ronnie Truelock, general manager of the Farmer's Cooperative in Alva, said of the 2018 wheat crop in this area, “It's going to be below to way below, I'm afraid.”

He said the harvested number of acres is way down. He said the worst of the wheat has already been baled into hay, grazed off by cattle or destroyed.

On a brighter note, the recent, generous rains have helped crops planted this summer like soybeans and sorghum.

“Hopefully the summer crop will be kinder to us,” Truelock said.

The Alva Cooperative took in their first load of wheat Saturday at the Ashlee elevator. Calls to Dacoma, Cherokee and Burlington found they've each taken in some loads. There were not yet any yields to report, but a test weight of 58 pounds per bushel was reported on a load at Dacoma and 60 on a load at Burlington.

So far there are no reports of fighting mud in the fields. Truelock anticipates a weed problem from the recent rains. Everyone just seems anxious to get what is salvageable of this crop cut, stored and move on to the next hurdle. This harvest is another example that humans are not in control.