Combines started rolling in southern Ohio last week where the start of wheat harvest was running a week or so ahead of schedule.
Scott Metzger of Pickaway County took a wheat harvest selfie.
Scott Metzger in Pickaway County got started mid-week and the moisture was around 18% and yields were looking promising. Metzger has some frost damage, though, particularly in the low areas, but he is still hopeful for strong yields in his high management wheat.
?Our goal is to be done cutting wheat and finish planting double-crop beans on the same day ? by July 1. We plant a couple hundred acres of seed wheat and we?ll cut that wet and dry it down, then go into the rest of the wheat. That gives us a jumpstart,? Metzger said. ?We?ll double-crop every acre of our wheat.?
The odd winter and unusual spring of 2017 has led to many potential challenges for wheat.
?Extreme cold weather caused freeze damage to wheat heads, which has resulted in blank heads and could significantly impact yields,? said Matt Hutchison, Product Manager, Seed Consultants, Inc. ?Growers have observed the development of diseases such as powdery mildew and Fusarium head blight (scab). Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus has also been present in some fields, a result of feeding by aphids carrying the virus.
?Due to warmer-than-normal weather in late winter/early spring, wheat development has been two to three weeks ahead of normal and growers should expect an early harvest. In areas where head blight has developed, growers should adjust combines properly clean out lighter grains impacted by scab.?
That early start is important this year (and increasingly important in general) to maximize the chances of meeting increasing quality standards from many end-users of wheat.
?Wheat harvest date impacts both grain yield and quality,? said Laura Lindsey, Ohio State University Extension wheat specialist in a recent CORN Newsletter. ?Delaying wheat harvest puts the crop at risk for increased disease, lodging, sprouting, and harvest loss. Last year in Clark County, we evaluated wheat harvested on June 29 (at 12% moisture content) and July 8 (at 14% moisture content). Grain moisture increased between June 29 and July 8 due to a 0.58-inch rain between the two dates.
?When wheat harvest was delayed until July 8, yield decreased by nine bushels per acre, test weight decreased by 2.9 pounds per bushel, and DON level increased by 0.86 parts per million. Using a grain price of $4.50 per bushel and discounts from a local elevator, the difference the delayed wheat harvest resulted in a loss of $87 per acre compared to the June 29 harvest.?
Lindsey is conducting additional research with funding from the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program comparing grain yield and quality of wheat harvested at around 20% moisture to around 13% moisture.
