Agricultural News
2013 Wheat Crop Awaits Adequate Moisture
Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:09:59 CDT
With the 2013 wheat crop in the ground, Small Grains Extension Specialist Jeff Edwards provided a snapshot of how it is shaping up so far. He spoke with Ron Hays at the recent Oklahoma Agribusiness Retailers Association Annual Meeting.
"We need a nice rain across the state," Edwards said. "We have wheat in the ground that hasn't emerged because it's dry. We have a lot of fields with partial emergence--maybe in some areas the wheat came up, but not on the terrace ridges and places like that. And then we have some early-planted wheat that's going backwards in a hurry."
"The early-planted wheat is starting to run out of water and we need some rain pretty quickly to get us through. We don't need a lot of moisture to make it through the winter, but we've got to have some moisture. This wheat that's in the ground that's been dusted in that hasn't emerged yet kind of has me concerned because if we got a rain this week, we're still looking at an effective emergence date in mid-November. That's getting kind of late."
He says the lack of rain over the last few weeks is a problem, but he is also concerned with subsoil moisture.
"In most locations we do not have much subsoil moisture to deal with and we're going to need that subsoil moisture replenished. We were in the same situation last year, but we lucked out in the spring and we got those rains in a timely fashion just to carry us through. We're in the same situation again and if we don't keep getting some timely rains to carry us through, we could be in a pretty rough spot come next spring."
Edwards says that if we do get rain soon, producers should be thinking about weed control as the wheat emerges. He said it is better and more cost effective to spray now rather than waiting until spring. With wheat prices remaining high, he said it is also good to be planning for top-dressing needs now.
"Wheat prices are such that we cannot afford not to implement good agronomic practices this year. Weed control, keep an eye on the insects. We can have some aphids out there. Just because it's been dry doesn't mean we can ignore our insect issues. Provide adequate fertility. Set yourself up for success next spring."
You can hear Edwards' full conversation with Ron Hays by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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