Illinois Wheat Association

Illinois Wheat Association

The Illinois Wheat Association is a member organization serving all aspects of the Illinois wheat industry from producer to processor. Illinois Wheat Association provides educational opportunities, encourages research relating to wheat and wheat products, promotes marketing alternatives, and represents its members in state and federal legislative activities relating to the needs of the Illinois wheat industry.

Financing comes from voluntary membership dues and donations. 

For additional information about the Illinois Wheat Association, please contact Diane Handley, Executive Director, (309) 557-3662 or dhandley@ilfb.org.

Summer Wheat Forum – August 20, 2013, at Highland, IL.  Registration is available on-site for $15/members and $30/non-members - Details will be posted on the Event page as it becomes available.

Summer Plot Tours:  See Events page for more information.

 

 
Comments from Illinois wheat experts are featured, providing informational data about the wheat industry in Illinois.

Wheat Improvement: The Truth Unveiled

The attached document was developed in response to the “Wheat Belly” book and is a rebuttal of many of the myths claimed by Dr. William Davis.  Download Wheat Improvement.

Wheat Performance in Illinois Trials - 2012

The 2012 wheat season in Illinois was much better than the 2010 season, with good (but not record) yields and very good grain quality.  Planted acres rebounded nicely in 2011, going from 330,000 acres in 2010 to 760,000 acres in 2011.  Yields in 2011 were higher than those in 2010 in every crop reporting district except the southeast, and ranged from 76 bushels in the northeast to 50 bushels in the southeast.  The preliminary state yield estimate for 2011 is 61 bushels per acre, up from only 56 bushels in 2010.  The 2011 yield is about 1.5 bushels more than the average of the previous decade, and has been exceeded in Illinois only three times; the highest state yield to date is 67 bushels, in 2006.  Check here for the complete report:  2012 Wheat Trials 

Washington County Leads Wheat Production

Washington county led the state in wheat production with over 4.1 million bushels produced.  This was 1.9 million more than the second largest production in Clinton county and accounts for more than 10 percent of the total Illinois wheat crop.  Carroll county farmers had the highest yield, at 95.7 bushels per acre, 32.7 bushels above the state average of 63.0 bushels per acre.  Click for more information on county estimates.

Wheat Feeding

In its October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased the estimated feeding of wheat during the current 2012/13 wheat crop year by 95 million bushels to 315 million bushels. This change was prompted by the September 1 stocks report and suggests that increased feeding of wheat will join increased imports and reduced consumption as market responses to the drought-reduced 2012 corn and soybean crops. Therefore, this article examines the historic role of wheat feeding in the U.S. and the factors associated with it.  Click for more information -Wheat Feeding - Farm Doc.

New Acreage Reporting Requirements and Cover Crop Information

Scherrie V. Giamanco, State Executive Director for USDA's Illinois Farm Service Agency (FSA) wants to remind producers of the new acreage reporting requirements for fall seeded small grains, forage crops, apples and peaches.  Producers of perennial forage crops (grass, hay, alfalfa, and pasture) and fall seeded small grains (wheat, rye, and barley) must submit a 2013 acreage report for these crops by December 15, 2012. Producers of apples and peaches must submit a 2013 acreage report for these crops by January 15, 2013. These dates are also the same date for these crops to be reported to your crop insurance agent when carrying federal crop insurance. For the 2013 crop year only, late-file fees will not be assessed if reported by June 30, 2013.  Click for more information - New Acreage Reporting Requirements and Cover Crop Information

Considerations for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

The 2012 drought not only impeded the performance of herbicides used in corn and soybean, but the exceptionally dry conditions also reduced herbicide degradation.  University of Illinois associate professor of weed science Aaron Hager said that approximately two weeks ago, soil to initiate greenhouse bioassays was collected at Urbana, Brownstown, and Perry from plots used for weed-control experiments in 2012.   Click for more information on Considerations for Fall-Seeded Small Grains.

Japanese delegation views Illinois wheat harvest

A Japanese delegation recently visited the Kevin Aves’ farm in northern Illinois to learn more about the wheat industry in Illinois and the US and to see wheat harvesting in action.  Click here for the full report.  Click to view pictures from the day.

May 15 - Southern Illinois Wheat Tour

Click here for Tour Results

Here are three videos that were shot during the recent Southern Illinois Wheat Tour.  The first has Dave DeVore evaluating wheat.  The second video with Dave DeVore is about scouting the wheat crop and the third is with Daphne Gullett about the tour.

 

 

Wheat Harvest Movie Release Set for 2014

A documentary film currently known by its working title—The Wheat Harvest Movie—is scheduled for release in spring 2014. The movie will tell the story of where our nation’s food comes from and how it’s produced. Maryland-based independent film company ConjoStudios will produce the movie, which is expected to encompass a 10-state region and showcase the lives of hard-working American families, who spend as many as 100 days each year traveling from state to state harvesting the wheat that feeds the world.

The film’s coordinators are working to secure national, regional and state sponsorships opportunities, as the 2012 wheat harvest commences across the country. Watch a promotional trailer for the film online at www.wheatharvestmovie.com.

Managing Fusarium head blight (scab) of wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as “scab”, is a disease of wheat that can cause both yield and quality losses.  Symptoms of FHB appear as “bleached heads” or heads with both green and bleached areas. The fungus, Fusarium graminearum (a.k.a. Gibberella zeae) causes FHB of wheat and can cause Gibberella stalk and ear rot of corn.  The fungus also produces the toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) that can contaminate grain, which can be a serious problem for millers.  Weather is an extremely important factor involved in the development of FHB, especially from flowering through kernel development.  Moderate temperatures (75 to 85°F), prolonged periods of high humidity, and prolonged wet periods favor FHB development.

Successfully managing FHB requires an integrated approach, where the use of resistant varieties, better crop sequences, and fungicides can limit losses due to FHB:

Resistant Varieties:  Although no varieties are immune to FHB, some are more resistant than others.  Dr. Fred Kolb’s wheat-breeding program at the University of Illinois has rated wheat varieties for FHB severity under high-pressure FHB environments over multiple years.  These ratings are available on-line at the University of Illinois Variety Testing site, located in the “Small Grains” section (http://vt.cropsci.uiuc.edu).

Cropping Sequence:  Because corn stubble can harbor the FHB fungus, wheat following soybean is at a lower risk of developing FHB than wheat following corn.

Foliar Fungicides:  The use of a foliar fungicide is the only “in-season” option for control of FHB.  Although fungicides are a good control option, losses will still occur on a highly susceptible variety sprayed with a fungicide in an environment conducive for FHB; therefore, it is always important to start off on the right foot and plant a variety with good resistance to FHB.

For the first time ever, multiple effective fungicide products will be available for use on wheat in 2009.  These fungicides, which have good efficacy against FHB and some foliar diseases include: Caramba (BASF), Folicur (Bayer CropScience), Proline (Bayer CropScience) and Prosaro (Bayer CropScience).

For control of FHB, fungicides should be applied at Feeke’s growth stage 10.5.1 (early anthesis).  It is also important to spray with nozzles oriented to spray forward, which helps coverage of the wheat head.  In the past, recommendations were to use nozzles that sprayed both forward and backward; however, recent research out of North Dakota State University has shown that “forward-facing” nozzles may be all that are needed.

Fungicides that contain an active ingredient in the “strobilurin” class should NEVER be applied to control FHB.  This includes products like Headline, Quadris, Quilt, and Stratego.  Research has shown that strobilurin fungicides can actually increase DON levels in harvested grain.  These strobilurin products are very good at controlling foliar diseases of wheat, and if used, should be applied earlier in the season (around Feekes 8 – flag leaf emergence).

Forecasting System for FHB.  To help with fungicide application decisions, an FHB forecasting system is available.  The Fusarium Head Blight Risk Assessment Tool is available on-line at www.wheatscab.psu.edu.  A “risk map” is available that allows you to see what your risk of FHB is throughout Illinois.  This risk is based on weather conditions that have occurred. 

Carl A. Bradley
Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology / Extension Specialist
University of ILlinois - Department of Crop Sciences
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-7415