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Wheat harvest has really gotten under way the last couple of days. Many growers are surprised as to how dry the wheat is. On the flip side, some growers have encountered wet wheat and are choosing to let it dry some more before getting started. We should all remember the experiences from past years. Usually the test weights are always strong at the beginning of the harvest but inevitably rains come at harvest and begin taking test weight out of the wheat. With that said, starting a little early might protect some of the test weight we have been forfeiting to Mother Nature. As far as early reports, we have heard of a couple of OptiCrop growers achieving yields above 100 bushels. I personally checked a field today and it was averaging 109 bushel. That is very impressive yield considering the May we had. This year I believe that applying a fungicide will turn out to be a wise management decision. I predict that the early harvested wheat will be good to very good. The later maturing fields will not be as good. Fusarium Head Scab will definitely take some yield potential out of those fields. I would like to thank all of our MRM and OptiCrop customers and wish them a successful and safe wheat harvest. by John Bob Wilson, Opti-Crop Crop Consultant |
