Agricultural News
ICYMI- In the Field- Dr. Jeff Edwards Sees a World of Potential in 2016 Oklahoma Winter Wheat Crop
Tue, 29 Dec 2015 04:18:24 CST
In case you missed it- Dr. Jeff Edwards talked about the status of the 2016 hard red winter wheat crop in Oklahoma with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays this past Saturday morning on KWTV News9 during their regular morning news block. Edwards says that the wheat crop has entered the winter season in the best shape in the last several years- with no drought hurting the potential of the crop that will be harvested in the June time frame in 2016.
You can watch their on air conversation from the weekend by clicking on the PLAY button in the video box below. You can also listen to the off camera conversation that Hays and Edwards had about the crop and read more about his comments from our earlier story posted last week on OklahomaFarmReport.com- the audio and the full story can be seen below the video in this story.
News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |
Oklahoma's wheat crop has gotten off to a strong start, the best probably in several years in terms of crop yield potential. The former Oklahoma State University Extension Wheat Specialist Dr. Jeff Edwards now serves as the head of the Plant and Soil Science Department. In talking with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, Edwards said having a full profile of soil moisture is especially important in going through the winter into spring time.
"There's a lot of things hidden underneath the soil that are going on right now in terms of head size, number of potential grain sites, all of that is being determined before jointing - before you see that head moved above the soil surface and any stress to the crop during that time period can affect those," Edwards said.
Farmers are set up to produce good yields, if they take care of the factors that can be controlled. With a lot of expenses already tied up in the crop, Edwards said farmers need to look at inputs that provide the best return on investment. That includes nitrogen fertilizer, weed control and possibly a fungicide. With above normal moisture, this crop has lost some its availability of nitrogen, especially with leaching in sandier soils.
"I've got a feeling that this is going to be one of those years where we do need quite a bit of top dressed nitrogen," Edwards said. "In the Southern Plains our rainfall is unpredictable, so it's important that we get started with those nitrogen applications fairly early in the winter. We need moisture to move the nitrogen into the soil profile and it has to be there available for the roots prior to jointing."
Weeds have been a problem this fall in having above normal moisture. If warm temperatures hold, Edwards said farmers may have opportunities to take care of those weeds. The best recommendation is to control weeds early before they get established. He said controlling small weeds is much easier than trying to control them after they get established and start using nitrogen fertilizer.
Disease control is other factor that can greatly effect yield. Edwards said he is seeing quite a bit of leaf rust, tan spot and septoria. He recommends farmers monitor the situation until jointing or just after jointing before applying a fungicide. In applying nitrogen fertilizer, controlling weeds or applying a fungicide, Edwards said timely applications are the best management strategy for the best control.
You can listen to the conversation between Edwards and Hays by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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