10 Million Loaves Of Bread: North Escambia’s Wheat Crop

June 6, 2012

North Escambia might not be the bread basket of the country, but the local wheat crop still pumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into local economy, particularly around Walnut Hill and Bratt.

In 2008, about 500 t0 600 thousand bushels of wheat were grown per year in North Escambia . That translated to about $3.5 to $5 million into the local economy.

But 2012 wheat production was down significantly in the area.

According to James Formby, manager of Esambia Grain in Walnut Hill, there were 2,753 acres of wheat planted this year. The yield ranged from 25 to 60 bushels per acre, with an average of 45 bushels per acre . With a closing price of $5.60, the value of the 2012 crop would be about $700,000.

The 2012 harvest of about 123,885 bushels would be enough for nearly10 million loaves of bread.

Much of the wheat harvested in the area ends up at Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill, one of just a handful of grain elevators in Florida. First opened in 1965, Escambia Grain has six storage silos, each about 100 feet tall.

Editor’s note: Story updated 8:45 a.m. to reflect a mathematical correction.

Pictured top: Wheat is harvested recently in Bratt. Pictured below: Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

10 Responses to “10 Million Loaves Of Bread: North Escambia’s Wheat Crop”

  1. barrineau on June 6th, 2012 10:30 pm

    That’s a lot of dough …bun intended.

  2. charlie on June 6th, 2012 1:59 pm

    From 20 catfish farmers to 3 in 10 years. You call that luck?

  3. JM on June 6th, 2012 12:39 pm

    That’s why Farm Aid was so hot years ago. Many of our entertainers understood
    they dynamics and how important they were to the people of America.

    Thanks to all the Farmers to grow food for us and try to keep us all well feed.
    I also want to give a big thanks to the small farmers who are local and provide
    us with the those wonderful road side fresh fruits and vegetables.
    It is wonderful to know they have never been stored in cold and lost all
    their vitamins and flavor.

    Thanks again Farmers!
    Thanks again!

  4. Devastating Dave on June 6th, 2012 12:32 pm

    “farmer’s friend said:

    I recently heard a good idea…we should sell our U.S. wheat to oil countries at the same rate that they sell their oil to us. Maybe our farmers could make a decent living…and maybe our gas prices would go down!!!”

    A hearty “Amen!” to that!

  5. JSCS on June 6th, 2012 12:20 pm

    So glad to be a part of the north end of our county. Not only do we have beautiful wheat fields but also corn, soy beans,cotton and vegetables. Last but not least, the great catfish. How lucky can we get?

  6. charlie on June 6th, 2012 10:40 am

    Would you buy wheat from China or Vietnam if you could get it for a little less money and forget about the American farmer? At one time Escambia county produced three million pounds of catfish per year. Where was the community support for American grown food when cheap foreign fish flooded the market? If you think foreign oil is bad, wait until we are dependent on imported food.

  7. farmer's friend on June 6th, 2012 7:56 am

    I recently heard a good idea…we should sell our U.S. wheat to oil countries at the same rate that they sell their oil to us. Maybe our farmers could make a decent living…and maybe our gas prices would go down!!!

  8. friction against the machine on June 6th, 2012 7:42 am

    Farms are a strategic asset to a nation. We should treat them as such. Germany nearly starved Britain into submission in WWI and WWII because of the submarine warfare that kept alot of food from being delivered to that island nation.

    We in the US didn’t have that problem b/c we were the bread-basket to the world, could grow our own food and we had a strong navy protecting shipping lanes. I’m glad farmers are doing better economically these, that leads to a stronger nation. I do think the Fed. government should subsidize more small farms.

  9. Jane on June 6th, 2012 5:23 am

    This is another reason we need to encourage our FFA children and help them if they want to learn more about farming. This is an important part of the economy here and helps feed a lot of people. Sometimes the weather in other parts of the country ruins crops and we help “fill in the gap” when it does. Our farmers are very important to us all!!!

  10. Cool on June 6th, 2012 1:14 am

    Really interesting. I think that wheat fields are the prettiest of all the crops around here.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News