Agricultural News
OSU Wheat Specialist Jeff Edwards Calls USDA Wheat Number for Oklahoma Too High
Fri, 10 May 2013 18:51:01 CDT
Dr. Jeff Edwards, Extension Wheat Specialist for Oklahoma State University, has been traveling the wheat belt within Oklahoma over the last few weeks- and he told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays that the most common thing that he has seen in recent days in most wheat fields he has checked is "freeze damage, lots of freeze damage." On Thursday, he spent time at the OSU wheat plots in Chickasha and then Friday, he was at the Lahoma Wheat Field Day at the North Central Oklahoma Research Farm that's a part of the OSU Ag Experiment Station. Edwards called the freeze damage seen at both Chickasha and at Lahoma as five to fifteen percent damage- while in many other locations he has found higher levels of damage to the wheat plants he has checked.
Edwards says that he has seen limited stem damage from the freeze events across the state, with plants that have been damaged taking the hit in the head mostly. He does not expect 2013 to be as bad as 2007 when it comes to stem problems. He recalls that 2007 saw many wheat stems lodge because of the weakness in the stem due to freeze and the development of heads that were heavy with grain as harvest approached- and that weight pushed many plants down that year.
His hope for the 2013 crop is for the continuation of an extended mild spring, with limited hot, dry, windy weather between now and the latter part of June. He says that it will not surprise him to see wheat harvest still underway in parts of the state around the Fourth of July.
Hays asked Dr. Edwards his thoughts about the USDA estimate of the 2013 Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat Crop that was released during the Lahoma Wheat Field Day on Friday- Edwards says "I think they are a group of optimists. I think they are really high." He adds that the Oklahoma Wheat Tour estimate of 85 million bushels is more realistic- but that's only with good weather between now and our harvest that will be about two weeks late this year. Edwards concludes that if we turn off hot and dry in June- 85 million bushels will be too high.
To see the USDA May Crop Production numbers, please click here.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the full conversation that Jeff Edwards had with Ron Hays on Friday at the 2013 Lahoma Wheat Field Day.
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