Illinois Wheat Association

Rainy Conditions Cause Wheat Yield Slip

Comments from Illinois wheat experts are featured, providing informational data about the wheat industry in Illinois.  Click here to read an article on the rainy conditions cause wheat yield slip

2019 a ‘Decent’ Year for Wheat

Wheat yields across Illinois in 2019 finished nowhere near the state record of 76 bushels per acre set in 2017. But the crop that survived heavy rains and spring flooding also wasn’t the disaster feared by many farmers last spring. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released county yield results in December. Illinois wound up with a state wheat yield average of 67 bushels per acre for 2019, up 1 bushel from the previous year.  Click here to read more of the article.

USDA Winter Wheat Update

The first winter wheat acreage estimate of the season is also out Friday and is expected to be below a year ago because of the same weather issues that delayed the corn and soybean harvests. Analysts see planted area for all winter wheat at 30.664 million acres, with hard red winter at 22.086 million, soft red winter at 5.118 million, and white winter at 3.490 million acres. In 2019, U.S. producers planted 31.159 million acres of winter wheat, with hard red winter at 22.458 million, soft red winter at 5.201 million, and white winter at 3.5 million acres.

The USDA will also be updating U.S. and world supply and demand estimates, along with quarterly grain stocks.

The reports are out Friday at Noon Eastern/11 AM Central.

US Winter Wheat Acres Set to Drop

However, rains in parts of the Midwest may hamper the last phase of sowing. Some growers who double-crop wheat in soybean fields might not be able to harvest their soy in time to seed wheat, according to Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at INTL FCStone in Kansas City. That could result in fewer planted acres of the soft red winter variety, he said.

“There’s quite a correlation in soybean-harvest pace and wheat plantings,” Suderman said by phone.   Click here to continue reading

WHEAT PERFORMANCE IN ILLINOIS TRIALS – 2019

Harvested wheat area in Illinois was estimated to be 590,000 acres, an increase over the 550,000 aces of the previous year. In July the USDA’s estimate of average yield was 63 bushels per acre, but that was increased to 65 bushels in August. The state’s total production was 4 percent higher than 2018.   Click here for the full Wheat Performance Trials.

National Wheat Yield Contest 2019

A 202.53-bushel wheat yield and a third consecutive win in the National Wheat Yield Contest would satisfy many growers, but Phillip Gross still sees room for improvement.

"I think by increasing seed population and trying to encourage more tillers in the fall, we could have done better," the Warden, Washington, grower told DTN. Each year, Gross paces his fields, scrutinizing tillering, pollination, spikelet number, kernel size, disease and insect pressure, as well as taking tissue and soil samples to check nutrient levels. "I personally think this is only half of its yield potential," he said of his winning irrigated winter wheat variety, LCS Jet.

But Gross, like the contest's sponsor, the National Wheat Foundation (NWF), has a lot more than big numbers on his mind.   Chick here for more information.

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:

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.