When it comes to U events one of the most important ones was Wheat U.
Wheat growers have continued to evolve and so has the science behind it. Many years ago growers planted wheat in late summer or early fall and wondered if a crop would ever come up. Today’s research shows that using ideal planting dates is more profitable than guessing and that was a tangible result along with a plan that addresses fertilizer application was a sure-fire success story.
Wheat production remains a staple in the High Plains and it remains a core subject for the upcoming HPJ Live program, Aug. 6 to 8, in the Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas. HPJ Live gives wheat growers an opportunity to learn more about other High Plains crops plus livestock production all in one setting. Pictured above is an Oklahoma wheat field. (Photo by Andrea Hanson.)
Kylie Reiss, associate publisher at High Plains Journal, said Wheat U met a need and will continue to do so in an exciting new format..
“Today’s farmer carries a substantial amount of weight on their shoulders. Through Wheat U and our past U events, we’ve provided the valuable networking support and community, producers rely on,” Reiss said. “Our priority has always been about focusing on the needs to improve profitability. And that’s why growers continue to show up year after year, because of the consistency in quality education they receive.”
Wheat growers can expect the latest industry updates and education at this year’s HPJ Live event, she said. A diverse lineup of speakers will discuss timely topics affecting producers such as cutting inputs without yield loss and HB4 Wheat—a rare opportunity for the U.S. wheat industry.
Also planned is a high yield grower panel, farm marketing and grain storage dynamics in an ever-changing environment, moving the fences back in hard red winter wheat breeding for a better consumer experience, and weed and pest management. General session topics include: trade and tariff impacts on ag, five steps toward your farm’s future, farm bill and ag policy update, and an honest outlook at the adaptation of regenerative ag practices.
A look back
In the August 2024 event, speakers included Oklahoman Keeff Felty, who at the time was the National Association of Wheat Growers president; Romulo Lolatto, a wheat specialist at Kansas State University; and Kelsey Andersen Onefre, an assistant professor and a wheat and forage Extension specialist at Kansas State University.
Felty said in the last five years, between the third year of drought and COVID, it’s been challenging. But it’s not all been bad. Felty was on a grower panel that included Chris Tanner, of Norton, Kansas, who is now on the NAWG board.
“We did get some timely rains, and we had a good wheat harvest this year, so (we’ve) really been focusing more on better efficiencies and looking at better ways and timing of fertility,” Felty said. “And how to better approach managing inputs, especially with the current inflation and cost, and that’s really such a driving force now in what’s going on in agriculture is increased input costs.”
Felty has invested in some technologies and practices to better utilize inputs and have a more valuable and timely approach to their use.
Lolatto says wheat requires less inputs than spring crops of corn, soybeans and sorghum and when used in a rotation those crops can draw on nutrients in the soil that were first applied for wheat. Lolatto has long championed wheat’s benefits beyond that of a cash crop. He believes it is a multi-faceted crop that has soil health benefits. In eastern Colorado leaving taller wheat stubble retained more moisture from snowfall.
Growers can use wheat pasture as a grazing tool for cattle production. He said an Oklahoma State University study has shown that wheat yields only takes a modest drop in yield and provides an inexpensive feed source for cattle before spring.
Andersen Onefre said problematic diseases are always going to be a problem for High Plains producers— including wheat streak mosaic.
Wheat streak mosaic virus can be confused for nitrogen deficiency, Andersen Onofre said. “When infections are severe, it can cause substantial yield loss,” she said.
The virus is transmitted by a curl mite that can thrive most notably in volunteer wheat and in other grassy environments, she said. The curl mites are difficult to detect. In warmer temperatures, they can survive about eight to 10 days, but in colder temperatures they can survive more than three months. The female can lay about 12 to 20 eggs a day, and the population explodes around harvest time.
“How do we stop wheat streak mosaic? We need to break the ‘green bridge,’” Andersen Onofre said. In other words, farmers need to eradicate volunteer wheat within two weeks of planting the fall crop.
For more information on HPJ Live, visit hpjlive.com.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
