The wheat harvest around the world varies in terms of time period. Warm weather is ideal for wheat harvesting and therefore depending on the region, various countries have different periods of harvesting due to seasonal rotation. In the mid-northern hemisphere, the ideal months of wheat harvest begin as soon as spring arrives; usually from mid April and onward. An early start is highly preferable in order to produce two waves of crop. Typical wheat harvest takes place over a period of 5 to 6 weeks depending on the weather. Colder weather can stagnate the yielding and end up in utter catastrophe. The top ten wheat producers of 2008 were China, India, the USA, Russia, France, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, Australia, and Pakistan, respectively.
There is however another sort of wheat harvest as well, known as the winter wheat. Winter wheat is not as popular as spring wheat but nevertheless it serves a vital purpose. During the months of September to December the winter wheat is harvested in the northern hemisphere. Winter wheat is primarily prominent throughout Europe, North America, and northern Asia.
Nature’s sudden unpredictability is one of the major problems in wheat harvest regardless of months. Excessive amounts of rain or dryness can cause damage to the crops. However, if the weather favors the harvesters, the results can be truly flourishing in both spring as well as winter.
Australia
Australia’s wheat harvest takes place between October and December. Australia is situated in the utmost southern hemisphere and therefore experiences summer in the last months of a year. It is the ideal time for Australians for wheat harvesting. Australia is also known to produce at least 4% of the world’s wheat, making the country as one of prominent wheat harvests’ in the world. Australia’s record production was 960 million bushels in 2005-2006, making it one of the leading wheat harvests of the year.
Europe
European countries indulge in both, winter as well as spring harvest; in other words, nearly all year long. Europe collectively is the largest wheat producer of the world. Almost perfect weather conditions, especially in southern Europe, makes it a supreme place for wheat harvesting. The northern part of Europe, especially Germany, is renowned for its excellent winter wheat. In fact, Germany was the place where the trend of winter wheat initiated.
The USA
The USA almost follows the same strategy as Europe. Broad variety of natural climate makes the USA an idyllic place for wheat harvesting in spring as well as winter. However, spring harvest is by far the more prominent of the two in the USA.
Sources:
http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/pests/ipm1022_Pp33-37.pdf
http://southwestfarmpress.com/grains/wheat-supply-1128/
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Wheat#Geographical_variation
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-is-wheat-grown-and-harvested.htm
