Weird weather seems to be hindering area wheat

Apr 29, 2009      The Hays Daily News

Mike Corn

Apr. 29, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It's unlikely area farmers will see a bumper wheat crop this year, thanks to weird weather standing in the way of normal development.

"It's certainly not as good as last year," said Joe Martin, a wheat breeder at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center south of Hays.

On the flip side, however, there's few problems with insects or diseases.

The only insect problem involves winter grain mites, but they have been affecting only continuous-cropped, no-till fields, according to Clayton Seaman, a technician in Martin's program.

Fields south of Hays have been hard hit by the mites, with insurance adjusters all but writing off the crop.

"If you look at our crop around here, it's going to be short -- and short relates to lower yield," Martin said.

Wheat stands aren't as thick as they normally would be, simply because the plants haven't been able to send out tillers as they normally would -- even in fields that were planted on schedule.

Why is a bit of a mystery.

"I don't know," Martin said. "We've had a weird year. It's been so cold, we didn't have any spring tillering."

Freezing temperatures haven't been a problem either.

"We didn't have a problem with freezing because it was held back by drought," he said.

Already, Martin said, the short crop is pushing out a flag leaf -- the final stage prior to heading. That step in the crop development could take place in just a couple weeks.

Despite all the problems, Martin isn't writing off the crop.

"I think we're going to have a decent crop," he said. "I wouldn't expect the 60- to 80-bushel yields we had last year."

Instead, he thinks yields in the 30- to 40-bushel range might be more in line -- on the good fields.

"I'm not sure what the late planted fields will do," he said.

Heavy rains last fall forced quite a few farmers to delay planting until late in the season, well past the optimum planting period.

Those fields, Martin said, will have to do virtually all of their growing this spring, just as the temperatures heat up and push the crop toward maturity.

There's plenty of interest in the crop, however.

Already, a group of traders from the Chicago Board of Trade passed through Hays on Tuesday, and grain company representatives will be here Thursday.

"They're all trying to guess what the government is going to say the May 1 production will be," Martin said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue it's first harvest forecast next month, based on conditions as of Friday.

Newstex ID: KRTB-1036-34532810

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