Wheat

Wheat harvest was extremely slow becuase of unfavorable weather at harvest time. Many bushels of wheat had a lower test weight becuase of delayed harvest. Straw harvest has been just as slow becuase of the weather conditions. Weeds have also caused problems for both grain and straw harvest. Yields have been above average for the county. Some people say they have haed their best wheat ever, but like always, some yields were disappointing.

A few things to consider for next yera's crop. For those of you fighting an annual ryegrass problem especially a resistant ryegrass, a product called Osprey was labeled in March for annual ryegrass control. Dr. Alan York, Weed Specialist with NC State, says this product gives very good and consistent control of annual ryegrass. it is registered on wheat only. You can get serious injury on barley and it will kill oats. Dr. York also thinks it will be a good product for bluegrass control. You can use it on wheat from emergence to jointing and on ryegrass from 1 leaf to 2 tillers. You cannot apply topdress nitrogen within 21 days of Osprey application. Rotation restrictions are 90 days with soybeans and 12 months with corn.

Dr. Randy Weisz, Small Grain Specialist from NC State, has developed some suggestions for selecting wheat varieties. The first suggestion is to pcik varieties that have been in the latest Official Variety Tests (OVT) for at least two years. This data is broken down by location and years in the OVT data. They also have a combined state average. Suggestoin number two is to pick varieties that have two-year OVT yeilds that are average or above-average. Suggestion number three is if planting on time, avoid varieties that are "early" heading. There is a 14 day spread from early to late heading. There is only about a five day difference in harvesting times. Suggestion number four is to pick varieties that have pest resistance specific for our local area. For the Piedmont area, we have a litttle powdery mildew and a little Hessian fly.

As far as Fusarium Head Scab goes, we have no varieties with true resistance. The following varieties have some resistance: NC-Neuse, NKC 9474, McCormick, AgriPro Patten, Roane, and Vigaro-Tribute. These varieties might have some resistance: USG 3650 & 3209, SS 556 & 550 & 518, NKC 9025 & 9296, and P26R24 & 2684 & 26R58.

For those of you with internet access, you can go to the following webiste for more information: www.smallgrains.ncsu.edu. We should be getting the Official Variety Books on small grains shortly.

If you are planning to plant wheat no-till, you need to keep a couple of things in mind. Tillering and fall growth are often slower in no-till. Consequently, no-till producers often achieve higher yields if they plant during or slightly ahead of the opening planting date for our area. Planting early requires special care to select varieties that are medium to late heading to avoid freeze damage, have good Hessian fly resistance to prevent fall infestations. No-till small grains planted into corn or wheat residue are also at increased risk for Fusarium head scab. Consider the varieties we discussed earlier.

Corn Harvest

Corn harvest is only a short time away. The crop varies across the county depending on the showers ift received. For those of you considering harvesting corn at higher moisture levels, soome good informaiton is available to figure your drying costs. If selling immediately, the grain only needs to be dried to 15.5 percent moisture. For long-term storage, the moisture level needs to e reduced to 13.5 percent. Drying costs can be estimated by the following equation:

Energy cost ($/dry bushel)=[(LP gas price x 0.02) + (Electricity price x 0.01)] x (Initial moisure less 15.5)

Energy cost ($/wet bushel) = Energy cost per dry bushel x (100 less initial moisture )/84.5

These calculations are based on the fact that it takes 0.02 gallons of LP gas and 0.01 KWH of electricity to remove 1 percent moisture per bushel.

When storing corn, you need to make sure to clean the bin, aeration ducts and auger trenches becuase insets trhive on dust and foreign material. Clean weeds and moldy grain from around the bin. Disinfect with pesticides or fumigants to remove all insects and molds. Seal all openings to provide barrier protection against insect entry in all locations below the roof eaves.

Load clean dry grain into the bin. Operate the unload auger to pull the peak down and remove the center core of the bin, which contains most fines and small foreign matter. Spread and level the grain surface since a level surface is easier to manage and less likely to change tempearture during storage.

The grain needs to be cooled to below 60 degrees F as soon as possible after harvest. This will reduce the risk of insect damage. Continue to aerate periodically during storage to prevent moisture migration.