Illinois Wheat Association

Illinois Wheat Association

Click on the Events tab for more information regarding upcoming activities.

The Illinois Wheat Association (IWA) is a member organization serving all aspects of the Illinois wheat industry from producer to processor. Illinois Wheat Association provides educational opportunities, encourages research relating to wheat and wheat products, promotes marketing alternatives, and represents its members in state and federal legislative activities relating to the needs of the Illinois wheat industry.

Financing comes from voluntary membership dues and donations. 

For additional information about the Illinois Wheat Association, please contact Mike Doherty, Interim Executive Director, (309) 557-3619 or MDoherty@ilfb.org.

IWA Newsletter:  IWA publishes a quarterly newsletter for members.  As of summer of 2015, IWA will accept paid advertising for any businesses who wish to place an ad in the newsletter.  Those advertising guidelines can be found here:   Download Advertising Package 2017-18        

Wheat Yield Contest:  The IWA has hosted the 5^th Annual Winter Wheat Yield Contest.  Click here for the past guidelines of the contest.  

Click here for the  2018 Winners.

Click here for the  2017 Winners.

Click here for the  2016 Winners.

Click here for the 2015 Winners. 

Click here for the 2014 Winners.   

Plot Tours and Wheat Forum – Please see Events page for information.    

Comments from Illinois wheat experts are featured, providing informational data about the wheat industry in Illinois.

 

 

Learn how wheat travels from field to mill to your table via this informational video featuring Illinois farmers and millers.

 

 

 

Industry experts discuss the benefits of the double cropping system.

 

Fungicide Application Timing – Carl Bradley

 

 

The Economics of Agronomic Decisions in Growing Wheat – Kelly Robertson

 

Double-Crop Field Days August 15 & 16

Wheat-soybean double-cropping can increase bean yields by up to 1 BPA per day that they are planted early.  The ROI and environmental benefits of wheat/soybean double-cropping are quite substantial. Come see the latest approaches to a wheat-soybean rotation for yourself in a field near you.  Click here for time and locations.

Wheat Faces a Double Challenge

The 150,000 to 180,000 wheat farmers in America are facing a double-barrel challenge:  1) The declining role and power of agriculture generally; and

2)  The declining position of wheat farmers compared to both foreign competition and compared to other major commodities here, specifically, corn and soybeans.  Click here for article:

WHEAT PERFORMANCE IN ILLINOIS TRIALS – 2015

The 2014-15 wheat season was a mixed one in Illinois, with good yields but with grain quality problems following wet weather in the spring. Acres planted for grain dropped from 750,000 in 2013-14 to 590,000 in 2014-15. The 2015 yield is currently estimated at 66 bushels per acre, a bushel less than in 2014. This is a high yield by historical standards.  Click here for the complete report:  2015 Wheat Trails

Ramp Up Diversity and Profitability By Adding Wheat

Winter wheat can serve as a powerful rotational tool for no-tillers by breaking up pest and disease cycles and restoring poorer, worn-out soils.  For entire article, click here:  No-Till Farmer.com.

Scab Management

When it comes to managing Fusarium Head Blight (commonly referred to as “scab”) in wheat and barley, university small grains specialists emphasize that the best approach is an integrated one focusing primarily on the planting of moderately resistant varieties and the use of effective fungicides.  For the complete article click here:  Download Scab Management - August 2015.

Five Myths About Wheat and Whole Grains Dispelled

Misinformation about grains and whole grains abounds” and is hindering sales and consumption of whole grains in the US according to the Whole Grains Council.  See article here:  http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Markets/5-myths-about-wheat-and-whole-grains-dispelled.

Deoxynivalenol (DON; also called vomitoxin)

DON is proving to be a problem this year in southern Illinois.  There are several reports that DON levels are so high that loads are being penalized with price reductions in some counties.  In some of these cases, high DON is associated with areas that also had significant head scab (Fusarium head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum).  However, some cases of high DON levels are occurring despite lack of visual symptoms in the wheat and good test weights and average yields.   Click on this link to read a timely article on DON that is relevant for Illinois growers. Download Deoxynivalenol - DON

Great American Wheat Harvest Movie

The debut of The Great American Wheat Harvest  was seen by many during Ag Day activities this year in Washington D.C.  The The Great American Wheat Harvest is a documentary film that follows wheat harvesting families and crews for an entire summer. It tells their stories - their struggles, successes & failures, their joys & sorrows, and the sheer pleasure they share in time spent with family and friends harvesting the wheat that feeds the world.  A YouTube trailer clip can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxVICQaPAM.  The movie website can be found here:  http://www.greatamericanwheatharvest.com/     

Wheat Returns on Southern Illinois Farms

In this post, returns are compared on southern Illinois farms that grew and did not grow wheat.  Specific comparisons are for farms growing and not growing wheat, farms having double-crop soybeans following wheat, and farms having different percent of their acres in wheat.  These comparisons are made for years from 2006 through 2012, corresponding to the period of higher commodity prices.  Overall, comparisons suggest that farms growing wheat had comparable profitability to those farms that did not grow wheat.  Click here for more information and scroll down:  http://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2013/08/wheat-returns-southern-illinois-farms.html.

Wheat Improvement: The Truth Unveiled

The attached document was developed in response to the “Wheat Belly” book and is a rebuttal of many of the myths claimed by Dr. William Davis.  Download Wheat Improvement.