Connie’s Comments by Connie Strunk, Turner County Extension Educator—Agronomy September 3, 2009

With the start of September brings the completion of the South Dakota State Fair and thoughts about harvest and plans for next year.  It is that time of year when farmers make decisions on whether or not they are going to plant winter wheat. 

            The recommended time to plant winter wheat is September 15 through October 10.  For our area we recommend holding off until at least September 20; although most guys will plant winter wheat into soybean stubble.  We want the wheat plants to be well established before freezing.  This allows maximum cold tolerance and allows enough energy reserves to accumulate for spring.

            When planting winter wheat you should consider planting into stubble.  The standing stubble not only helps with seed germination and seedling establishment but it also traps snow where it insulates the wheat seedlings against the cold temperatures, reducing the risk of winter kill.  The trapped snow also improves the soil moisture conditions.  Seeding into broadleaf-crop stubble is recommended to reduce the risk of insects, diseases, and weed problems. 

The recommended seeding rate is 22 pure-live-seeds per square foot (approximately 960,000 seeds/acre).  The recommended seeding depth for winter wheat is 1 ½ to 2 inches in a firm seedbed.  Make sure there is good soil-to-seed contact, especially under drier conditions.  Keep in mind, winter wheat seed can germinate with a minimum amount of moisture.  But the problem arises if no additional moisture is received and the soil moisture is too low to support seedling growth because the seedlings can wilt and die.

Another way to prevent disease or insect problems is by providing a two week break in the field from green tissue.  What this means is you must control all grassy weeds and volunteer wheat two weeks prior to planting.  This provides a break in the life cycle of the wheat curl mite and helps control wheat streak mosaic virus (which is vectored by the wheat curl mite) and other diseases.

Overland is a variety that is recommended for our area but the problem lies in getting seed.  It is very hard to come by.  Overland was a top yielder in the East River trials, West River trials, and was also a top performer with a three-year statewide average.  Varieties found acceptable or promising for our area include: Arapahoe and Hawken.  Overland, Arapahoe, and Hawken have all had U.S. Plant Variety Protection applied for and/or issued; seed sales of these varieties are restricted to classes of certified seed.

This fall the Southeast Research Farm will be planting a date of planting study to effectively determine a good range of planting dates for our area.  Currently, the recommended planting dates come from research that was done out in west river.  If anyone is interested in doing a date of planting study or any other on-farm research projects that involve wheat please feel free to give me a call.  I would really like to have some sound data from our area that will in turn help you guys.   

For more information about planting winter wheat refer to Extension Extra “2009 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results and Planting Tips” or find it on-line at: http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx8136.pdf.

For more information please feel free to contact me at the Turner County Extension Office at 297-3112.  

For your information:  There will be a Soybean Cyst Field Day on September 17, 2009 at 4: 30 p.m. with a meal to follow.  Watch for more information to come!  Go ahead and call the office or check our website at http://www.turnercounty4h.com and click on the agriculture tab for upcoming programs and additional information.

For those of you who are interested in taking advantage of this free program, here is the schedule for pesticide container collection in southeast South Dakota:

 

Date                            Time                            Location                                              City

September 14              9:00 to 12:00               Lake Preston Soil Service       Lake Preston

 

September 14              1:30 to 4:00                 Cenex Agronomy Center        Howard

 

September 15              9:00 to 12:00               Lake Co. 4H Grounds                        Madison

 

September 15              1:30 to 4:00                 Moody Co. Highway Dept.    Flanderau

 

September 16              9:00 to 2:00                 Renner Fire Hall                      Renner

 

September 17              9:00 to 12:00               Central Farmers Coop             Salem

 

 

All times are local.  The following locations below will accept containers anytime during regular business hours:

Vermillion – Contact:  Phyllis Packard at Missouri Valley Recycling Center (605) 677-7076  

Pierre – Contact:  South Dakota Department of Agriculture at (605) 773-4432 or 1-800-228-5254

Huron – Contact:  Russ Layton at Bauman Agency at (605) 353-1112