What’s up this Wheat? March 20

Hello All,

What’s up this Wheat? Weekly highlights and resources for producing winter wheat in eastern Nebraska. Happy first day of spring!

Weather

• Al’s Forecast on Market Journal – Nebraska Extension Ag Climatologist
• Nebraska Mesonet: Soil Moisture Sensor Readings at 4, 10, 20, and 40 inches deep. Use the drop-down menu and select soil moisture at depth on a Nebraska map.
• USDA Midwest Climate Hub – Midwest Ag Focus Climate Outlook

Highlight(s) in the News

• Farm Progress: Morning Market Review for March 20
• Nebraska Today: Nebraska team links wild wheat gene to drought tolerance in cultivated wheat
• Nebraska Wheat Board: Staff Working Remotely

Economics

• USDA Economic Research Service Wheat Outlook, March 12, 2020: “Global export forecast raised on higher production for Russia, Argentina.”
• Local Cash Bids on March 20, 2020
  • ADM Lincoln – 4.85 (+0.15 basis)
  • Scoular Fremont – 4.91 (+0.21 basis)
• Rock Valley Mixed Hay and Bedding Auction in NW, Iowa: Large rounds at $100/ton

Agronomics

• CropWatch
  • Undersowing Red Clover Into Winter Wheat as an N Source for Corn
  • $1.2 Million Grant to Help Corn and Wheat Growers Manage Nitrogen Fertilizer Application
  • USDA NASS Releases Wheat Production Data by County
• KSU Agronomy eUpdates
  • First hollow stem update: March 11, 2020
  • Army cutworms in wheat, alfalfa, and winter canola

Tips

• Time to start evaluating your winter wheat stand, learn quick and easy way to determine your plant population per acre: https://croptechcafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Evaluating-Winter-Wheat-Stands.pdf
• Late planted or a thin stand, consider early topdress to stimulate spring tillering
• Are you considering planting wheat after corn silage or seed corn this fall? Start reviewing and modifying your corn herbicide programs to eliminate crop rotation restrictions for wheat this fall!

Please feel free to email me () and other wheat farmers in eastern Nebraska that are a part of this email group with comments or questions!

You can view previous weekly emails at croptechcafe.org/winterwheat/

This email is part of the Winter Wheat Works Initiative, a local University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension effort to encourage and support growers in eastern Nebraska to move from a strict corn-soybean rotation to a successful flex-rotation where some winter wheat acres are considered each year and strategically integrated into their cropping system.