Agricultural News
2012 WheatWatch- Wheat Crop Making Good Progress as Winter Arrives
Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:06:01 CST
The winter months are upon us and the winter weather will be soon enough, which means that the 2012 wheat crop is approaching the dormancy stage as well. We talked with Dr. Jeff Edwards, OSU Extension Wheat Specialist, about the progress of the 2012 wheat crop and what farmers need to watch out for in the next few months.
Edwards says he is surprised at the status of the 2012 wheat crop so far. With a very favorable November across the state, Edwards says the wheat growth was successful and with timely rainfalls, which have fallen very slowly and really soaked into the soil, we are headed into dormancy in good shape.
However, producers still need to check their fields throughout the winter months. Edwards says that they should watch for soil-borne diseases, especially if they are in areas that are prone to diseases like wheat spindle streak or mosaic virus. Edwards says that this fall they have also seen some activity with seedling diseases.
Other advice that Edwards suggests for wheat producers in 2012 is to really put some money into the crop and be thinking about top-dress. Edwards says he knows it is going to be tough for producers to spend the money on top-dress nitrogen after such a tough year but it really has to be done. Edwards predicts that Oklahoma will begin with some earlier top-dress applications to make sure that the top-dress nitrogen has time to catch some rainfall.
Click on the LISTEN bar below to hear the rest of our WheatWatch with Dr. Jeff Edwards. Also, click here to visit our Flickr page for our 2012 WheatWatch photo album.
The 2012 WheatWatch is a service of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission- click here to visit their website for more information.
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