Category: Wheat

Maryland Grain Checkoff Referendum

A referendum to continue the Maryland Grain Checkoff Program (MGCP) will be held on July 22, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the annual Commodity Classic at the Queen Anne’s County (QAC) 4-H Park. The Checkoff Program works to improve Maryland grain farm profitability by funding market development, research and education projects focused on the needs of our farmers. Funding decisions are made by a board of grain producers from six regions throughout the state.

“The Maryland Grain Checkoff Program is made possible by farmers to benefit farmers,” said Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) President John Bruning. “I have seen firsthand how the projects funded with checkoff dollars have benefitted my own farming operation and Maryland grain farmers across the state.”

If passed by a majority, the 30-year-old Checkoff Program will continue from October 1, 2021 for an additional five years. One half of one percent (.5%) will be collected on the net value of each bushel of grain sold. The checkoff will be deducted at the first point of sale on all grain, with the exception of sorghum and soybeans. MGPUB does not administer the soybean checkoff program and grain refunds are available by written request to MGPUB.

“We encourage grain producers to support the referendum and become members of the Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA),” says Bruning. “Membership dues to the MGPA may be deducted directly from your checkoff assessment. Checkoff dollars cannot be used for lobbying, so membership is essential to ensure our farmers have a voice in Annapolis.”

To be eligible to vote, a person must be financially engaged in the growing of grain as an owner, tenant, or sharecropper. Contact Lindsay Thompson for information or for an absentee ballots at 443-262-8491, lindsay.mdag@gmail.com, or write to MGPA, 123 Clay Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658.

More information about the Maryland Grain Producers and the Checkoff Program can be found online www.marylandgrain.org.

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: July 2021

Reports are for crop conditions up to July 1, 2021

Western Maryland

The barley harvest is complete and the yield reports are very favorable. The combines moved t the wheat fields and that harvest is now underway with the balers following close behind. Early reports of wheat yields are also favorable. Corn and early beans looking good after a little battle with Mr. Slug and his friends. The recent heat has been good for the crops and allows for a favorable harvest, rains and cooler temperatures are forecast to be on the horizon. —Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Northern Maryland

Crops look very good across Northern Maryland, and we just received some timely rains that the corn and soybeans will appreciate and should make for good double-crop planting/germination conditions. Wheat harvest is progressing with reports of average to very good yields and heavy test weights. Most all corn has been top dressed with the second shot of N. Earliest planted corn will be tasseling in a couple of weeks and early planted group III soybeans are very close to R1. There has been spots of some severe slug damage on early planted soybean fields. A lot of hay was put up over the past few weeks with the good drying weather.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper & Mid Shore

The heavier soils on the upper part of the shore are holding up well. However the mid shore is getting dry and hoping for July 4th rains! Wheat harvest is almost complete with yields being average and above. The dry/cool/long grain fill period proved good for wheat yields again. Scab was low to nonexistent. Corn is beginning to tassel/silk and looks good. Early planted Group 3 soybeans are blooming and look good. So far, there has been plenty of moisture for germination of double crop beans. There have been many acres of 2,4-D and Dicamba beans sprayed with minimal off site movement issues.—Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.

Lower Shore

Corn growth has taken off in the last couple of weeks. On average it’s about 4-5 feet tall. Sidedress N has been applied or is currently being applied to late planted corn. Full-season soybean has been planted and on average is at the V4 stage, and 7-10” tall. For the most part crops are looking good, although corn is showing some signs of water stress in sandier areas. Wheat harvest began around June 20th and is ongoing. Wheat yields are reported as average.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

As I write this, temperatures across the region are reaching into the upper 90’s and rain has been hard to come by. Crops are moisture stressed, with earlier corn just beginning to tassel. Critical rains are expected today and tomorrow, so hopefully by the time this is read, all crops will have received some much needed moisture. Barley harvest is mostly complete and wheat harvest is well on the way. Yields have been good to very good given the wet fall. Some wheat is taking its time drying down. Soybeans are in good condition. Very early planted beans have made good strides. Beans planted the first or second week of May are a bit behind compared to most years. Spider mites are plentiful in vegetable crops, and will begin to show up in bean fields soon, especially if the hot, dry weather continues. Second cutting of hay is being made now. We need more rain so keep cutting.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

List of University of Maryland Agronomy Faculty

 

2021 Maryland Commodity Classic

The annual Maryland Commodity Classic is taking place on July 22nd starting at 9:00 AM.

Come by the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park to hear the latest research, interact with friends, discover the most recent Dr. Miller Awardee and scholarship recipients, and enjoy Bob Farmer, a comedian!

Please register online prior to our event, here!

Tickets are $10 before 2:30 PM or $20 after 2:30 PM. There will be no entry after 3:30 PM. Please pre-purchase tickets if possible.

Be sure to bring cash for lunch and snow cones!

CCA credits are pending.

June 2021 Grain Market Report

Dale Johnson, Farm Management Specialist
University of Maryland

Information from USDA WASDE report

Attached is the summary for the June 2021 WASDE.

Corn

The only change in 21/22 corn estimates was a negative adjustment of 150 million additional bushels in the Ending 20/21/Beginning 21/22 stocks. This decreased the 21/22 ending stocks 150 million bushels and increased the estimated stocks to use ratio from 10.2% in May to 9.2% in June. December futures prices on May 12 closed at $5.93. Prices through May declined to a low of $5.23 on May 26 but have since rebounded and closed at $6.15 on June 10.

Soybeans

The only change in 21/22 soybean estimates was an adjustment of 15 million additional bushels in the Ending 20/21/Beginning 21/22 stocks. This increased the 21/22 ending stocks 15 million bushels and increased the estimated stocks to use ratio from 3.2% in May to 3.5% in June. November futures prices on May 12 closed at $14.44. Prices through May declined to a low of $13.26 on May 26 but have since rebounded and closed at $14.59 on June 10.

Wheat

21/22 Wheat yield estimates were increased 0.7 bushels per acre which resulted in a 26 million bushel increase in production estimates. There was a 20 million bushel decrease in the Ending 20/21/Beginning 21/22 stocks estimate. Import estimates decreased 2 million bushel. On the demand side Feed & residual estimate was increased 10 million bushel. The net effect of all these estimate changes was a decrease of 4 million bushels in ending stock and a decrease in the stocks-to-use ratio from 36.9% in May to 36.6% in June. Nearby (July) prices on May 12 closed at $7.30. Prices through May declined to a low of $6.40 on May 26 but have since rebounded and closed at $6.83 on June 10.

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: June 2021

Reports are for crop conditions up to June 3, 2021

Western Maryland

Corn and beans are all in the ground for the most part and the first cutting hay is in the barn. We received some welcome rain and cooler temperatures but it looks like the heat is coming back. That’s good for the corn as long as the rain showers continue. Wheat and barley are in full head and ripening nicely. Some alfalfa second cutting has been harvested and the rest will be soon.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Northern Maryland

For the most part, all corn and nearly all full-season soybeans are in the ground and coming along nicely. Earliest planted soybeans are around V4, earliest corn is close to V6 and sidedress nitrogen is starting along with post-emerge herbicides. Barley is ripening and wheat is looking good so far—still a bit too early to notice any head scab symptoms but the weather has been dry so scab should be fairly low this year. We received some very much-needed rain over Memorial Day. Prior to the rain it was perfect hay weather, and first cutting of alfalfa has been made. Triticale yields were reported to be very strong.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper & Mid Shore

We were getting dry before the Memorial Day weekend rain. Corn and beans are both off to a great start. Post emergent herbicide applications are under full swing. Corn is being sidedressed. Barley harvest will start Monday. Wheat still looks good with scab levels very low. Lots of high quality hay was made before last weeks’ rains.—Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.

Lower Shore

Wheat has flowered and is drying down. Cover crops have been terminated, although some were saved for wheat harvest due to favorable spring growth. Corn has been planted, and is generally around VE to V3 stage. I’d estimate half of soybean acreage has been planted. The earliest planted beans are around V2. We had a couple of weeks of very dry weather, which caused some growers to pause planting. Over Memorial Day weekend, it rained 2-3”, which was much needed to recharge the soil profile. Herbicide-resistant weeds, such as common ragweed, marestail, and Palmer amaranth, are starting to emerge. Now is the time to spray these seedlings to stay ahead on control.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

The region experienced a dry spell in the last month but rains returned over the last couple of weeks. Corn growth continues to be behind most years with many variable fields. Most corn fields are exhibiting some yellowing chlorotic growth. I expect plants to green up soon with return of moisture and warmer growing conditions. We have had some issues with pre herbicide activity most likely due to limited moisture to activate herbicide in to the germination zone. Side-dress N applications have begun this week on corn. Full season soybean planting is wrapping up. Barley will be ready to come off any day. Wheat fields are beginning to yellow. Unfortunately, we continue to see increasing levels of ryegrass in wheat. This has been a tough year for killing ryegrass prior to planting corn and soybeans. Cooler weather and tank mixes may be limiting herbicide activity as well as some potential herbicide resistance. There was a lot of nice dry hay during the dry spell.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

List of University of Maryland Agronomy Faculty

Wheat Yields & Double-Crops—Time is Everything for Maximum Yields

Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

Combines will be rolling very soon to harvest wheat, soon followed by the planter to get double-crop soybeans in the ground. As you know, for both wheat and soybeans, time is of the essence to maximize yields. This article is intended to be a reminder of how important timely harvest and rapid planting are for a double-crop system.

For wheat, there is a growing body of data pointing to the importance of timely harvest. While wheat needs to be at about 12% moisture for storage, waiting to field-dry and harvest wheat at 12-14% will likely cost you a considerable loss in yield due to reduced test weight. Several studies in the Mid-Atlantic region over the past few years demonstrate that harvesting wheat at 18-20% moisture can maximize yields; and for every day after 18% moisture, wheat yields decrease approximately 0.5-2.5%. Furthermore, research shows that if wheat experiences cycles of wetting and drying prior to harvest, vomitoxin levels in the grain can increase by nearly 1 ppm. This is more reason to harvest around 18-20% moisture, especially if you observe head blight symptoms in your fields. Of course, harvesting wheat at 18-20% does require you to have the ability to immediately dry the grain to 12%, or have a buyer willing to take high-moisture wheat and dry it (hopefully for a reasonable cost).

The second piece to the double-crop system is getting the soybeans in the ground as soon as possible. This can be tricky, especially if you are baling the straw. Ideally, the planters should be running the combines out of the field. For every day planting is delayed after mid-June, soybean yields decrease by roughly 1/2 bushel per day; and for every day after the end of June, expect about a 1-2 bushel per acre yield loss per day.

Maryland Crop Report: May 2021

Reports are for crop conditions up to May 6, 2021

Western Maryland

The weather here has been a little dry. Soil moisture levels are adequate but more rain would be welcome once the corn is planted. Triticale harvest is rushing to a conclusion to make way for manure tankers followed closely by the corn planter. Full season soybeans are also being planted and the first of the alfalfa is being mowed. Wheat is looking good and barley is in full head. Hopefully May will bring more showers than April did. —Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Northern Maryland

Corn and full season soybean planting has been in full swing for about two weeks now. The weather and soil conditions have been great. We were starting to get slightly dry but some timely showers this week brought some needed moisture. Corn and soybeans that have emerged look very good. Barley is heading out, triticale has been cut, and wheat varieties are between boot and heading. Right now head blight risk is low in our region, but that can change quickly so don’t fall asleep on it!—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper and Mid Eastern Shore

Barley is in stage 10.1 – 10.5 and looks good. Wheat is in stage 10 – 10.1 and also looks good. Corn and soybean planting is moving along rapid and smooth. Soil conditions have been ideal since planting started. Early planted corn and beans are germinating and emerging without too many issues. We are off to a good start. There have been a few acres of hay cut and baled. Most of the rest will be cut in the next few dry days. —Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.

Lower Eastern Shore

Wheat is in boot stage or starting to head. Cover crops have been mostly terminated. Growers are spreading poultry manure and some lime. There has been more tillage than normal this spring, as wet conditions during harvest last fall caused ruts in fields. 10-20% of corn acreage has been planted. Weather has been relatively favorable these last couple of weeks for planting, although scattered rains have prevented some fields from drying out. A few farmers have started planting soybean, with much more acreage anticipated for next week.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

The region has experienced good planting conditions over the last couple of weeks. Corn planting progress is still a bit behind schedule with cooler soils limiting the number of early-planted acres. We have earlier planted soybeans this year as well. Germination and plant stands for both crops look good. Recent rains have made for ideal conditions for slugs. Farmers are keeping a careful eye out especially in no-till fields with heavy crop residue. Wheat is at the late boot to early heading stage. Farmers will be evaluating the need for a head scab fungicide in the next week. Insect and disease pressure has been light so far. Forage crops look great this spring. Alfalfa weevil were active very early this year and many fields required treatment. Pyrethroid resistance in alfalfa weevil is common in our area. First cutting of cool season grasses is underway. Tobacco transplants are ready to go to the field this week.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

 

Scouting Fields for Fusarium Head Blight

Alyssa Koehler, Extension Field Crops Pathologist
University of Delaware

Most barley has made it past flowering, with wheat fields approaching anthesis. Over the past few weeks we have remained at low risk for Fusarium head blight (FHB) http://wheatscab.psu.edu/. There have been some rain events this week, and we will keep an eye on the model over the next 1-2 weeks. The recommended stage for fungicide application is when 50% of main tillers are flowering (yellow anthers visible) until 4-5 days after. Once wheat has flowered, symptoms of FHB are visible in 18-24 days, but cool weather can slow symptom development. Heads with FHB will have bleached florets or bleached sections of the head (Figure 1) and may have pink growth on spikelets. Glume blotch may also be present, but typically has more of a grey appearance. You can follow these steps to assess the level of FHB present in your field.

Wheat infected with fusarium
Figure 1. Symptoms of Fusarium head blight on wheat. Image: A. Koehler, Univ. of Delaware.
  1. For every 10 acres of field, randomly select one spot to survey.
  2. Keeping your line of sight above the wheat heads, walk 40-50 yards and randomly pick 10-20 heads to look at on the plant or detach and place into a bag. (You don’t want to be looking down and biasing the heads you select).
  3. Once you have randomly collected the heads, rate the percent of each head with symptoms of FHB (bleaching or pink growth on spikelets).
  4. After you have recorded values for each head, determine the average percent FHB severity by dividing the sum of disease severities by the total number of heads collected.

(Ex. You rate 10 heads with severity values: 0, 10, 30, 0, 0, 20, 10, 0, 0, 0. These add up to 70. 70/10 heads = 7% FHB severity).

Higher levels of FHB are typically associated with elevated levels of DON and possible issues with yield and test weight. It is possible to have delayed or lower levels of symptoms and still have DON.

  1. Repeat this assessment as needed to get an overall rating for the field. Fields with greater than 10% FHB severity are at higher risk for yield losses or elevated DON. Fields with elevated DON should be harvested as early as possible and you may want to consider increasing combine fan speeds and shutter openings to reduce the amount of scabby kernels harvested.

 

Checklist for Fusarium Head Blight Fungicide Applications

Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

As wheat approaches flowering, here is a final list of reminders/tips to make the most of your fungicide applications that are targeted to manage Fusarium head blight (head scab):

  • Use an effective fungicide. These include: metconazole (Caramba®), prothioconazole + tebuconazole (Prosaro®), prothioconazole (Proline®), and adepidyn (Miravis Ace®).
  • Apply an effective fungicide at the correct time. The most effective application window is from flowering (anthesis; Feekes 10.5.1) + about 5-6 days after. Late applications (4-6 days after anthesis) are better than early heading/head emergence (10.3) applications at reducing DON content in the grain.
  • Apply fungicides using the correct equipment. Ground applications should be made with 80-degree flat fan nozzles angled down from horizontal. For ground applications made at speeds over 6 mph, use a single nozzle angled forward, 30 degrees down from horizontal. For ground applications less than 6 mph, better coverage is achieved with dual forward and rearward facing nozzles, angled 30-45 degrees down from horizontal.
  • Sprayer should be operated to achieve droplet sizes of 300-350 microns.
  • Use 10-20 gallons of water per acre and keep the spray boom 8-10 inches above the crop.
  • For aerial applications: Use 4-5 gallons of water per acre. Fine to medium sized droplets (300-350 microns). Small aircraft should operate 8-10 feet above the crop; large aircraft 10-12 feet. Nozzles should be mounted to cover 65% of the aircraft’s wingspan and mounted as low as possible.
wheat at start of anthesis
Wheat at Feekes 10.5.1. Image: A. Kness, Univ. of Maryland

 

April 2021 Market Report

Dale Johnson, Farm Management Specialist
University of Maryland

Information from USDA WASDE report

Attached is the summary for the April 2021 WASDE.

Corn

Supply estimates were unchanged. Feed and residual estimate was increased 50 million bushel. Ethanol estimate was increased 25 million bushel. Exports estimate was increased 75 million bushel. The total increase in demand was 150 million bushel decreasing ending stocks the same amount and decreasing the stocks-to-use ratio from 10.3% to 9.2%, the lowest since the 2012/13 marketing year. The Prospective plantings report on March 31 estimated 2021 corn acres at 91.1 million acres which was below expectations. This sent corn prices limit up on March 21. They have continued to climb. Nearby futures are trading in the $5.70 per bushel range and December Corn hit a high of $5.04 per bushel on April 9.

Soybeans

Supply estimates were unchanged. Crushings estimate decreased 10 million bushel. Exports increased 30 million bushel. Seed & residual decreased 20 million bushel. Total demand and ending stocks remained unchanged. The 2.6% stocks-to-use ratio is the lowest since the 2012/13 marketing year. The Prospective plantings report on March 31 estimated 2021 soybean acres 87.6 million acres which was below expectations. This sent soybean prices limit up on March 21. Nearby futures are trading in the $14 per bushel range and November futures closed at $12.63 per bushel on April 9.

Wheat

Wheat import estimate was decreased 20 million bushel. Feed and residual estimate was decreased 25 million bushel. These changes resulted in an increase in ending stock estimates of 16 million bushel and an increase in the stocks-to-use ratio to 40.3%. Since last month wheat futures have declined but in the past few days they have recovered and are trading in the $6.40 per bushel range for nearby futures contracts.