Let's start thinking about wheat
It has been a unique year, to say the least. We were supposed to have plenty of snow over the winter, but that never happened. The spring was dry and hot, then turned into more rain than we wanted. Some areas are looking good, while others are showing the strain of being too wet for too long.
The corn looks great if you didn’t have too much rain. Suddenly, we are in August. Soybeans seem to be trending towards coming off early again. That means it’s time to start thinking about planting wheat.
Here are some quick points to think about when you talk to your Wanstead or AGRIS Crop Specialist when planning your fall wheat.
Fertilizer
Applying fertilizer ahead or with the wheat can be very beneficial. Wheat responds very well to phosphorus and sulphur in the fall. Several products can be used to supply phosphorus and sulphur.
The picture below shows an example of the response to applying phosphorus and sulphur vs no fertilizer. It didn’t take long after the wheat emerged to see how well the wheat responded with added fertilizer.
MESZ applied at planting on the right side. Photo courtesy of Darrin Angus.
Variety selection
Topics to speak to your Wanstead or AGRIS Crop Sales Specialist include:
- Yield performance. What is our local data? How did the varieties perform?
- Standability. Short vs taller wheat. Are you going to put a growth regulator on?
- What is the disease tolerance of the wheat you're considering?
- Underseeding with clover or other cover crop choices.
- Post-harvest manure applications.
- What is your plan for the straw?
Weed control
Fall burndown has been increasing in popularity and becoming very effective and even necessary for clean fields and providing better options for spring management of other inputs.
It seems we are always running into weather extremes in the spring when it is time to spray weeds or apply fungicides.
Multiple tank-mix partners and cold weather do not go together. Spraying in the fall is also sometimes the only time we are able to spray with favourable weather as spring weather is becoming more unpredictable.
Fleabane always needs to be kept in check. It’s also good to spray weeds like thistles and dandelions that sometimes need to be sprayed multiple times due to the large taproots.
Hard red wheat program
Our hard red wheat program has been very well supported since we have started doing it the last couple of years. We expect our new program to be in place in the next couple of weeks. Feel free to ask about the program in mid-August.
August came fast, and it seems like the soybeans are on pace to be off early. Contact your Wanstead or AGRIS Crop Specialist to see what varieties, 4R nutrition and chemical programs work for your situation.