Climate Change and Small Grains Production Workshop is February 20

2011 Kentucky Wheat Yield Winners Honored at Kentucky Commodity Conference

The farmers with the top wheat yields in 2011 were honored at the Kentucky Commodity Conference, January 20, 2012, in Bowling Green.

The highest yield of the 2011 growing season - 112.07 bu/A - was achieved by Double P Farms in Todd County.

The top no-till yield was 107.53 bu/A  submitted by Duncan Gillum, also of Todd County.	Area 2 winner - Neil Rudy Farms of of Daviess County with 105.82 bu/A .
Area 3 Winner - Randy Mann of Simpson County with 98.53 bu/A.	Area 4 Winner - Homestead Family Farms of Nelson County with 98.79 bu/A. Receiving the award is Michael McCain.

Floyd Henry of Todd County was the Area 1 winner with 106.60 bushels per acre.

The Kentucky Wheat Yield Contest is sponsored by the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association. Congratulations to these farmers!

View the full list of winners and agronomic practices.

Mild winter means earlier scouting

By Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky

Even though it’s the middle of winter, there haven’t been many days that have felt like winter in Kentucky. While there’s still a lot of winter ahead, the chances of it being a mild one seem to be increasing.

According to Tom Priddy, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture meteorologist, a moderate La Niña in the equatorial Pacific is causing the medium- and long-range weather outlooks to show above normal temperatures and above normal rainfall for Kentucky and the rest of the Ohio Valley.

If the winter continues to be mild, wheat producers may want to monitor their fields for the presence of two late-season diseases earlier than they normally would in the growing season, said Don Hershman, UK extension plant pathologist.

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UK soil scientists increase wheat yields through better use of nitrogen

It’s important for wheat producers to get the most efficient use of their nitrogen inputs to keep costs down and improve crop productivity. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture soil scientists have conducted studies on the effectiveness of remote-sensing nitrogen applicators and have developed an algorithm to use in the equipment that has proven to increase yields in Kentucky.
Remote-sensing technology uses sensors to measure crop canopy conditions and apply the appropriate amount of nitrogen to a particular area as the tractor passes through the field. This technology helps ensure the areas that need nitrogen get it and cuts down on unnecessary applications in areas of the field with sufficient amounts, rather than producers making a blanket application across the field based on the field’s average nitrogen needs.

Since this is new technology, only two states, Oklahoma and Virginia, had algorithms for the machine. Neither worked for Kentucky. With funding from the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association, Lloyd Murdock, UK extension soils specialist, developed one for the state.

“I’m excited that we’re making this technology work for farmers,” he said. “It has increased nitrogen efficiency and yields during field trials the past two years.”

In field trials, the algorithm has increased yields by an average of 3.9 bushels per acre. The total amount of nitrogen used has remained about the same, but is now varied over a field with some locations receiving more or less than others. With these averages and taking into account current wheat prices, producers can expect to get a return of about $20 per acre.

Murdock is working with Kentucky growers who have remote-sensing technology to help them input the algorithm into their equipment. He’ll also lead a discussion about this during the 2012 UK Wheat Science Group’s Winter Wheat Meeting Jan. 10 at the James R. Bruce Convention Center in Hopkinsville.

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