19
Nov
2021
Ben Wiegmann, Beck’s Hybrids Field Sales Agronomist, discusses his top four wheat planting strategies for successful yields: planting date, weed control, planting depth, and planting population.
Categories: Agronomy, Agronomy Talk
Tags: Agronomy, Wheat, weed management
Aaron Brooker, Beck’s Hybrids Field Sales Agronomist, discusses late planting wheat management decisions for mid-November.
Tags: Agronomy, Wheat, PFR
27
Sep
Ben Wiegmann, Beck’s Field Sales Agronomist, reviews the details of the “Weed Management in Wheat” 2021 Herbicide Insight Plot. The purpose of this study is to determine how newer wheat herbicide labels such as Sharpen® and Zidua® SC compare to traditional wheat herbicides.
Tags: Agronomy, Wheat, herbicide insights
10
May
Chad Kalaher, Beck’s Hybrids Field Sales Agronomist, discusses what to consider when deciding on making a fungicide application to wheat.
Categories: Agronomy
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Wheat, WHEAT FUNGICIDE, wheat yield
3
2019
It’s that time of year again. It's the time of year for our wheat to start flowering, so fungicide applications should be top of mind. With the kind of spring we are experiencing throughout much of the Midwest, many factors favor Fusarium head blight (head scab) onset.
Tags: Wheat, Fungicides on Wheat, head scap, wheat diseases
17
Apr
Earlier this week I scouted some fields in Southern Illinois following the rains we received last weekend. With this wheat in this field pushing Feekes 7, I plan on taking some soil and tissue samples in a few different spots to see what's going on in these plants.
Tags: Wheat, fungicide on wheat, tissue sample, soil test, flag leaf, foliar applications on wheat
9
Cold weather prevents wheat plants from breaking dormancy, so in cold springs, wheat crops may be slow to greenup. Delayed greenup is less concerning than cold damage to the wheat crop.
Chilling injury is only one part of the evaluation of winter wheat in the spring. If the fall was wet and challenging, there could be stand establishment concerns. In some low areas, the seed may have rotted in the fall. If the plant has fewer than three developed leaves going into the winter, it is more prone to injury as the crown is underdeveloped.
Tags: Wheat, wheat injury, chilling injury, wheat damage, spring freeze damage
7
Feb
2018
Did this year's freezing temperatures affect your yield potential?
While total wheat acres are down this year due to commodity prices, there there are still several thousand acres of Beck’s wheat planted throughout the South.
Unfortunately, that wheat has had a very troubled start this season. During planting, we experienced several weeks of dry weather that slowed emergence and even delayed planting. Then, in early January, we experienced two weather events that brought below normal temperatures (single digits in some areas) for extended periods of time. I have had several concerned farmers call and ask me if these weather events damaged their wheat crop and, true to my agronomist nature, my answer has been, “it depends on several factors.”
Categories: Agronomy, Kentucky, Tennessee
Tags: Agronomy Update, Wheat, Austin Scott, Kentucky Agronomy, Tennessee Agronomy, Wheat Freeze Injury, Wheat Feekes Scale, Split Applying Nitrogen on Wheat
28
2017
Scouting your wheat now is critical to preventing Fusarium head scab in your fields. Get to know and understand the wheat growth stages and timing and be prepared to apply fungicide when necessary.
Categories: Agronomy, S Indiana
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Scouting, Steve Gauck, Wheat, Head Scab, Fusarium Head Scab
12
Much of the wheat throughout my territory is now between Feekes 10 (head in boot) and Feekes 10.1 (grain head visible). This means that within the next two weeks, it will be time to start making fungicide applications to protect our wheat against Fusarium head blight (head scab).
Tags: Agronomy, Wheat, Austin Scott, Kentucky Agronomy, Tennessee Agronomy, Head Scab, fungicide on wheat
23
Mar
Beck’s agronomist, Sean Nettleton, provides an update to last week’s wheat webinar on freeze damage.
Categories: Agronomy, S Illinois
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Wheat, Sean Nettleton, freeze damage
Beck’s agronomist, Austin Scott, provides an update to last week’s wheat webinar on freeze damage.
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Wheat, Austin Scott, freeze damage
Beck’s agronomist, Chad Kalaher, provides an update to last week’s wheat webinar on freeze damage.
Categories: Agronomy, NE Illinois, NW Indiana, E Central Illinois
Tags: Chad Kalaher, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Wheat, freeze damage
22
Earlier this month I sent an update discussing how the warmer weather could affect nitrogen (N) applications on wheat. With another stretch of unseasonably warm weather upon us, I thought it would be a great time to provide a quick update on our wheat crop.
Tags: Aphids, Wheat, Illinois Agronomy, wheat growth stages, Sean Nettleton, Ag Chat, Nitrogen Management on Wheat, Feeks Scale, wheat management
8
We have been experiencing warmer than usual temperatures this winter in Southern Indiana. In terms of wheat, this warm weather has not concerned me as it is what happens in early spring that affects yield the most. The two factors that have the biggest impact on our quest to achieving high-yielding wheat are scouting and nitrogen (N) management. As you begin to evaluate your wheat stand, one of the most important things to remember is to perform stand checks. This can be done with a 1 x 1 ft. square, as shown below. Be sure to take counts at multiple locations that represent different landscape positions in your fields.
Tags: Agronomy, Steve Gauck, Wheat, indiana agronomy, nitrogen management, Ag Chat, stand checks. tiller, Feekes growth stages, burnt leaf stages, split nitrogen applications
I’ve recently had the opportunity to scout a few wheat fields and I wanted to share with you a few updates.
Categories: Agronomy, Missouri
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Wheat, Missouri Agronomy, David Hughes, tiller counts, AgChat, Winter Kill
I’ve received a few calls over the past few weeks from wheat farmers inquiring whether or not their wheat fields were starting to break dormancy. From what I’ve seen, the answer is yes. Many wheat fields have in fact “greened up” over the last couple of weeks. With temperatures reaching the mid-60s on January 21 and 22, and nighttime temperatures remaining above freezing until around January 26, a definite change has taken place across southern Illinois wheat fields.
Tags: Practical Farm Research, Wheat, Illinois Agronomy, PFR, tiller counts, nitrogen management, Sean Nettleton, AgChat
2016
The cool temperatures we have experienced over the last several nights have led to questions regarding frost damage. We are seeing some signs of frost damage here at our Ohio Practical Farm Research (PFR)® location, however we won’t know the severity of this damage until three to five days following the frost event. With the low temperatures leading up to this recent frost event, the hardening off process had started making our crops more tolerant of cool temperatures. Wet soils and dew present helps to maintain soil temperatures, thereby decreasing the risk of injury.
Categories: Agronomy, Ohio
Tags: Beck's Blog, corn, AgTalk, soybeans, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Alex Johnson, Wheat, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio Agronomy, Alexandra Knight, FROST DAMAGE
Most of the wheat in our area was planted between October 1-10, with the majority planted by October 7. Along with timely planting, the warm fall promoted excellent fall growth and tillering for overwintering. I noticed a few challenges this spring where seeding depth was too shallow or significant residue created poor seed-to-soil contact. I continue to see that the best stands are the ones where residue has been evenly-distributed and lightly incorporated with a vertical tillage tool or disk prior to seeding. No-till also continues to work well where the seed is placed deep enough for good seed-to-soil contact.
Categories: Agronomy, NE Illinois, NW Indiana
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Chad Kalaher, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Head Scab in Wheat, Wheat, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Illinois Agronomy, wheat growth stages, fungicides in wheat, flag-leaf growth stage, leaf diseases in wheat
20
Oct
2015
Fall fertility decisions in northwest Illinois have traditionally been based on crop removal and recent soil test levels. That may remain unchanged for some in 2015, while others may find the need to adjust levels lower due to economics. The cost to apply major nutrients like P and K have not dropped at the same rate as grain prices, resulting in heightened interest of economical use of these nutrients. Referring to soil test information, P and K can be allocated to only those areas most likely to respond to applications. Be sure to review critical levels of nutrients for corn, soybean, wheat, and alfalfa. The probability and magnitude of return to P and K fertilizer will increase when applied to soil test levels below the critical level.
Categories: Agronomy Talk
Tags: Illinois, Beck's Hybrids, corn, soybeans, Agronomy, Craig Kilby, Wheat, Agronomy Talk, Iowa, fall fertility, soil tests, P and K, phosphorus, potassium, alfalfa, maintenance soil nutrient levels