Wheat School - Evaluate Your Winter Wheat Stand Before You Jump To Conclusions

by

The “big picture” is very important when it comes to evaluating plant stands, especially in winter wheat. The first place a farmer will naturally be drawn to is the visually accessible poor spots in the field. Those areas should be looked at, but always in the broader context of the entire field. If they aren’t, rash decisions can be made that can cost a farmer more than if he just left his crop as – is.

Calculating the number of plants per foot of row gives you some idea of the yield potential of your crop. Doing that properly can be the difference between making the “right” decision and making a “scared” decision. Looking at the health of the plants in those stands is important, as well as how well rooted those plants are can give you some idea whether or not those plants should be counted or written off.

Peter Johnson is a Cereal Crop Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). This week on the Wheat School, Peter gives us some tips on how to properly evaluate plant stands in winter wheat.  Peter discusses with us how to properly evaluate the winter kill because too many farmers just focus on the negative and not the positives of what is left after the harsh cold winter. This wheat school episode is critical for leery winter wheat growers across the country.

If you cannot see the below embedded video, click here

Wake up with RealAgriculture

Subscribe to our daily newsletters to keep you up-to-date with our latest coverage every morning.

Wake up with RealAgriculture

Other Episodes

Wheat School (view all)Season 2 (2011) Episode 25
Episodes:

Please register to read and comment.

 

Register for a RealAgriculture account to manage your Shortcut menu instead of the default.

Register