Managing Wheat this Winter

Becks Hybird's put together a wheat management plan to follow.  They published it on Agriculture.com.  The following is the plan in a nutshell.

Wheat Management

September is upon us and that means wheat planting time.  Many farmers are getting ready to harvest their soybeans.  Although this year it looks like harvest will be later than normal.  The question for most is when do I plant wheat?  It's pretty simple.  The earlier the better.

Early Planted Wheat Offers the Following Advantages

1. Better emergence and fall growth.
2. More tillers will form in the fall with early planting.
3. Tillers that form in the fall have larger heads than tillers formed in the spring.
4. Less heaving the following spring if the nodal roots start to establish.

There Are Some Potential Disadvantages to Planting Early

1. Hessian Fly could become an issue.  Although this hasn't been an issue recently, it's best to plant after the fly free date.  See the chart above to get an idea what your date would be.  Planting prior to the fly free date can cause issues with aphids which can transmit barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV).  BYDV hurts more when the plant gets the disease in the fall compared to the spring.
2. Early planting may cause leaf diseases in the fall which is more dangerous than in the spring.
3. The earlier you the plant the earlier the wheat will try to come out in winter.  This is influenced by genetics more so than planting date.  A late spring frost will hurt plants coming out too early.

Despite all this the potential higher yield out weighs all the dangers associated with planting early.  It is in my opinion to go ahead and plant as soon as possible.  Good luck.

The Clock is Ticking on Cover Crops

Harvest looks like it may be coming later this year than normal.  This poses a serious problem of when to plant cover crops into corn.  Most cover crops need five to six weeks of growth to be able to withstand the winter hardiness.

Cereal rye can be planted later than most.  It can still grow at 34 degrees F.

The question is when is the right time to aerial supply serial rye to a corn field.  If you apply too soon when the corn is still green you may not get the seed to the ground and the sun may not reach through the crop canopy.  On the other hand, if you wait to close to harvest, you may not give enough time for growth before winter.  The time to look for is when the sunlight is hitting the soil roughly 50% of the time.

Wheat fields that did not have a crop after harvest have much more flexibility to plant cover crops now.  Your options are wide open.  The Midwest Cover Crop Council has excellent information to help you with cover crop selection.  Just go to their Cover Crop Decision Tool to find more info.

Agriculture.com has found the following chart also gives some good information about when to plant cover crops.  As you can see we are in the prime time as to when to plant.

Ryan Moore is the cove crops specialist with Becks who came up with this chart.  You may email him rmoore@beckshybrids.com, contact your local dealer or seed adviser for more information.

Farming Like a (Go) Pro

I thought this was a pretty cool video from the Peterson farmers out in Western Kansas.  This is what farming looks like with a Go Pro.

"Right to Farm" Could Expand to Other States

Constitutional amendments normally go unnoticed.  And that's usually for a good reason.  Most of the time the are archaic, outdated and doesn't apply to modern times.  Politicians usually just tack things on they want to pass for lobbyist and away we go.

So when the amendment "Right to Farm" was passed in Missouri, it came as no surprise no one noticed it.  The ballot asked, "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed?"

Basically it asserted the right to farm.  Why would anyone need to have that written into the constitution?  Isn't the right to farm your own land an unalienable right?  Unfortunately, in today's age, we need to have everything spelled out for us.

The law seems reasonable enough.  Proponents of this law were reasonably concerned about what's been going on in other states.  For example, in 2008, California voters approved roomier living conditions for hens.  And in Oregon, a rural county overwhelmingly passed a ban on genetically modified crops.

Considering all the hysteria surrounding GMO's recently, it's not out of the question that similar laws like the one in Oregon couldn't be passed in other states.

Missouri isn't the first state to pass a "Right to Farm" law.  South Dakota passed a similar law two years ago.  North Dakota State University law professor David Saxwosky says he hasn't seen any resulting court cases in a recent interview with South West Farm Press.

Maybe sometime in the next decades there will be some technology that even producers will say, 'Hey, wait, are we really aren't sure if we want that within our industry.'  And at that point, this language will be tested," Saxwosky said.

Other states are looking to add similar laws like the ones in Missouri and North Dakota.  Indiana recently added right to farm legislation in the form of a law.  Oklahoma had legislation that didn't make it pass the general assembly.  Many other Midwestern states have also begun conversations about "Right to Farm".

Why the Opposition?

You would think in a state like Missouri, with nearly 100,000 farms, the "Right to Farm" would pass easily.  Actually it passed by the narrowest of margins.  So slim in fact there may be a recount.

Unofficial results showed in the 3,898 precincts, it passed with only 50.1% of the vote.  Out of the 1 million votes casted, it passed by a mere 2,528 votes.

You may be asking yourself, why would anyone oppose the right of an individual to farm?  But Missouri is the "Show Me" state.  The message became muddled.  

Those supporting the amendment were portrayed as large corporate agricultural interest that were trying to avoid regulation relating to environmental and animal welfare while opponents were painted as over-zealous environmentalist who wanted to destroy traditional farming.  The debate pitted urban interests against rural ones.  The areas of Kansas City and St. Louis largely opposing the amendment.

Essentially, politics as usual.

Where ever you stand on the issue, we might be seeing similar legislation soon in Southern states.  In states like Alabama and Georgia, the "Right to Farm" issue would seem like a softball issue.  And we all know our esteemed legislators love softball issues.

Enrollment for Dairy Risk Management Program Begins Sept. 2nd.

Starting Sept. 2, 2014, farmers can enroll in the new dairy Margin Protection Program. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also launched a new Web tool to help producers determine the level of coverage under the Margin Protection Program that will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions. The online resource, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool, allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections.

The Margin Protection Program, which replaces the Milk Income Loss Contract program, gives participating dairy producers the flexibility to select coverage levels best suited for their operation. Enrollment begins Sept. 2 and ends on Nov. 28, 2014, for 2014 and 2015. Participating farmers must remain in the program through 2018 and pay a minimum $100 administrative fee each year. Producers have the option of selecting a different coverage level during open enrollment each year.

Dairy operations enrolling in the new program must comply with conservation compliance provisions and cannot participate in the Livestock Gross Margin dairy insurance program. Farmers already participating in the Livestock Gross Margin program may register for the Margin Protection Program, but the new margin program will only begin once their Livestock Gross Margin coverage has ended.

The 2014 Farm Bill also established the Dairy Product Donation Program. The program authorizes USDA to purchase and donate dairy products to nonprofit organizations that provide nutrition assistance to low-income families. Purchases only occur during periods of low dairy margins. Dairy operators do not need to enroll to benefit from the Dairy Product Donation Program.

Visit FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/factsheets, or stop by a local FSA office to learn more about the Margin Protection Program or the Dairy Product Donation Program.

New Tool in Irrigation

The Oklahoma Mesonet, a network of environmental monitoring stations, is offering farmers a new irrigation tool to get "the most from the water.  It helps determine 'which and how much,'" said Al Sutherland, Oklahoma State University Mesonet Agriculture Coordinator, in a recent interview with South West Farm Press.

"Often in hot, dry summers, farmers simply turn on irrigation systems and let them run,' Sutherland said.  "But with subsurface drip irrigation systems and in years with more rain, producers need to make decisions on when to irrigate."

The system uses multiple factors including soil type, temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation to determine the evaporation rate.  An irrigation planner is also included to help farmers determine when and how much water to apply.

The Oklahoma Mesonet consists of 120 automated stations covering Oklahoma.  There is at least one Mesonet station in every Oklahoma county.

To view a video of the system, go to South West Farm Press.

Knock Down Weeds With Grit

If you're battling weeds in the field, a recent report shows that spraying them at this point may not work.  So what do you do?  Knock them down, literally.

A system being tested by USDA-ARS researchers in Minnesota.  Targeted primarily at organic production systems, the "Propelled Abrasive Grit Management" (PAGMan) replaces chemical with compressed air and "grit particles" to control weeds "around the base of the corn, soybean, and other row crops," according to a report from USDA-ARS by Jan Suszkiw.

The system expels .5 millimeter wide particles in a "cone shaped pattern" at a 100 pound/square inch rate.  The results have been eye opening.

"Field trial results from 2013 showed season long weed control levels of 80% to 90% in corn using two treatments of the abrasive grit - one at the first leaf stage, and the second at three or five leaf stage of corn growth," he said during an interview with Agriculture.com.

"Ongoing field trials may foretell of the systems potential to help organic growers tackle within row infestations of weeds that have sprouted around the base of corn, soybean and other row crops," he says.  "For organic systems, the grit selection can have more of an effect than just knocking down weeds."

Monsanto's New Roundup Ready in 2016

In 2016 you'll be able to use Monsanto's Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System for dicamba-tolerant soybeans.
Monsanto officials say they expect the USDA to give the all clear for the Roundup Ready by the years end.  However, Chinese approval for the system's soybeans won't be done by the the end of 2014.

"In the interest of stewardship, that will push us back for (Roundup Ready Xtend) soybeans to 2016 (pending regulatory approval)," says John Combest, a Monsanto spokesperson during a recent interview with Agriculture.com.  He said the farmers need to know that Roundup Ready Xtend soybeans will be able to be exported.  It's key to have China's approval first before introducing the product to farmers.

Monsanto originally planed on releasing the product in 2014.  That was before the USDA decided to have Animal and Plants Health Inspections Services (APHIS) launch two separate environmental impact statements (EIS) for traits that tolerate 2, 4-D and diacamba herbicides.

Dow AgroScience is still aiming for a 2015 release of its Enlist Weed Control System that includes soybeans tolerant 2, 4-D.  Just how large the scope and size of the release is up to the US approvals and import approvals from foreign nations.  Like the Roundup situation, China is a stickler for gaining import approvals of Enlist system components.

"There are still some approvals that need to be gained there," says Damon Palmer, Dow AgroSciences US commercial leader for Enlist.  That applies to other soybean systems as well as Enlists technology.  Authorities in Canada, Australia, Japan, Colombia, Taiwan, and Mexico have all cleared Enlist components for export.

Two New Varieties of Winter Wheat

Wheat growers in the Central US have learned about new Winter Wheat that will hit the market in 2015.

In a recent story by Agriculture.com, Syngenta announced the launch of SY Clearstone CL2 for Montana and Western North Dakota.  Also, Kansas State University's KanMark will be marketed to Kansas and the surrounding states.

"SY Clearstone CL2 is an ideal option for planting this fall because it excelled in a broad range of yield trials in this area and combines excellent yield potential with the agronomics growers have been looking for," said Corey Dathe, Northern Plains cereals key account lead, Syngenta.  "As certified seed, it provides growers with added assurance for consistent performance and high quality."

A hard red variety, it is a taller, semi dwarf variety with good test weight and can stand up to harsh winters.  It has high protein content with a two-gene herbicide tolerance.  It gives growers better weed management options while still offering a high yield.

KanMark is more suited for the central Plains.

It is from Kansas State's wheat breeding team.  It features reliable yield potential even under low precipitation ideal conditions, according to wheat breeder Allen Fitz.

It's targeted primarily for western Kansas but can also be used in central Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and eastern Colorado.

Fitz warns it is moderately susceptible to acidic soils and scab, so farmers would have to take necessary precautions.

KanMark boasts resistance to stripe rust, leaf rust, and soil-borne mosaic virus.  However, it is susceptible to Hessian fly and moderately susceptible to powdery mildew and tan spot.  It contains multi-gene resistance to leaf and stripe rust, and tends to yield towards the top of the yields chart.

KanMark is the product of a three way cross and was originally bred for resistance from leaf and stripe rust.  Its pedigree includes Parula, Pastor and Karl 92.  Fitz added that this is a very short-statured, upright variety and that producers may not see much of a canopy.  But he warns not to judge it until it comes across the scale.

"I always thought this was an ugly duckling wheat," said Fitz.  "But we're not here to release bouquet wheat, we're here to release varieties that will make money for producers, and I think it will do that."

KanMark is named to honor Mark Carleton, who was a wheat researcher at Kansas State.  He brought back varieties from Russia and used them to breed Kanred nearly a century ago.  Carleton was also the first president of American Society of Agronomy.  His contributions to the American wheat industry were substantial.

Groundwater Decline More Complicated Than Irrigation

Ground water across Texas has declined over the last eight years.  Mostly due to irrigation in agriculture and population growth.  However, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study has identified other factors having an impact.

Groundwater decline has been the most server in the last four decades.  But not all the news is bad according to Dr. Srinivasulu Ale, AgriLife Research geospatial hydrology assistant professor in Vernon.

In a recent interview with South West Farm Press, Dr. Ale, who help write the book "Long-term (1930-2010) trends in groundwater levels in Texas: Influences of soils, land cover and water use," along with Dr. Sriroop Chaudhuri, said they conducted the study because by 2060 the states population is expected to double.  This will increase the demand for water at a time when water supply is expected to be reduced by 10%.

"We wanted to know which areas are more vulnerable to water shortages," he said.  "In order to plan and implement strategies to deal with the water level declines, we needed to know how these levels were declining spatially and temporally."

BASF Commitment to Research

What is BASF researching?  And what is the amount of effort and money they are putting in?  Markus Heldt, President, BASF Crop Protection recently answered those questions in an interview by Agriculture.com.

Harvest Tips

Wheat harvest has begun across the country.  Agriculture.com wanted to give you a few tips about harvesting and double planting soybeans.

The ideal moisture to harvest wheat is between 20% to 14%.  Below 14% you'll start to see yield loss.  Rain can also lower test weight and quality if below 14%.  Air drying the wheat will give you the best quality.  For long term storage make sure the wheat is dried to 12.5%.

If you notice head scab, be sure to increase your fan speed and use air to blow out the light, discolored kernels.  If you're going to store wheat with head scab, be sure to dry it quickly down to 13% to help stop the spread.  Below is a picture of wheat with head scab.

Remember that 17 kernels per square foot left behind the combine is about 1 bu./A.

Cut the wheat at 8 to 12 inches.  The taller stubble helps maintain soil moisture and encourages more height from the double crop soybeans.

If you are planning to store to stubble, keep in mind the fertilizer you are removing.  Wheat straw can remove 0.68 lbs of P205 per bushel and 2.03 lbs of K20 per bushel.  So 80 bushel wheat straw will remove 54.4 lbs of P205 and 162.4 lbs of K20.

If you are not planning on baling the straw, be sure to setup your combine to spread evenly across the field.  This will help even out double planting soy beans.

Double Planting Soybeans

When planting double crop soybeans select a medium to long season variety.  It normally takes soybeans 90 days to mature, so be sure to give yourself time for the average first frost.  

For the best double crop, make sure to plant 15" rows and narrow.  We want to encourage fast growth and a quick canopy.  Plant higher than normal populations, most double crop soybeans are planted in 15" rows at 200,000+ and 220,000+.

The most important thing to remember is to plant with good moisture.  Good seed to soil contact with moisture equals quick emergence and a higher yield.

Michelin's New Tire

Delta Farm Press recently announced that Michelin North America is going to introduce a new extension to its popular AgriBib lineup later this year.

The new Michelin AgriBib 480 95 R50 model is a taller sized, rear fitment tire designed primarily for larger, front-wheel assist tractors to handle bigger loads.  It can also be used during crop applications on large, four wheel drive machines.

James Crouch, farm segment marketing manager for Michelin North America, said the Michelin AbriBib 480 95 R50 features ride quality compared to some of the best in the market.  It has long lasting tread, better traction and impressive clean-out.

Michelin is going to partner with John Deer and Case New Holland on the launch into the North American market.  This will take place in the fourth quarter of 2014.  Initially the tire will be available on new equipment purchases and then later available as a replacement tire.

For more information go to Michelin Media.

Herbicide Resistant Weeds

South East Farm Press recently published an article about the damage herbicide resistant weeds can do.  A four year study by Weed Science shows how devastating a single herbicide resistant weed can be to a crop field.

The research covered fours years and four different fields of cotton in Arkansas.  In the study, 20,000 seeds of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth was released into a field and untreated and allowed to escape.

In one of the fields there was a total crop failure.  This shows the need for a zero-tolerance threshold when it comes to weed management.

Seeds can be spread by wind, water, animals and humans.  Seeds such as palmer amaranth can float on top of water causing it to spread rapidly in a field.  Palmer amaranth has prolific seed production rate, rapid dispersal and high competitiveness with crops making it very difficult to control.

In the Arkansas study, only glyphosate herbicide was used.  In the first season, a patch of Palmer amaranth grew 375 feet from the original planting location.  In the second season, the weed reached the field boundaries and infested 20 percent of the field area causing a significant yield decline.  By the third season, the weed had completely covered the field, making it impossible to plant any cotton.

This study easily shows how using only one form of herbicide can be ineffective when it comes to defending your farm from weeds, especially Palmer amaranth.  It also shows the need to keep all resistant weeds in a controlled area.  Weed control based on an economic threshold does not adequately consider the soil seed bank and the risk for herbicide resistance.

Waiting for Proper Time to Irrigate

With seemingly abundant water supplies in the five Delta states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee, many can't understand why anyone would ever have to irrigate.  Crop histories show that at some point in every season irrigation would pay dividends in the five state area.

Recently Jason Krutz, irrigation specialist with Mississippi State University, took an ag editor from Delta Farm Press on a tour to educate about water issues facing the Mississippi Delta.  He discussed how the use of flow meters, moisture sensors, and surge valves have helped farmers grow the same, and sometimes, more crops with less water.

Krutz and several members of the Mississippi Sustainable Water Resources Task Force stopped at a field operated by Tim Clements near Leleand, MS.  They demonstrated how the new technology could one day help farmers alter the current situation in which Delta farmers are removing more water from the alluvial aquifer than it is taking in.

Sugarcane Aphids Heading North

It's been 80 years since the Midwest has experienced a pest problem like it may experience this year.  The sugarcane aphid has mostly been in Texas along the gulf coast and Louisiana.  However, they appear to be heading north.

What does a sugarcane aphid do?  They can damage a plant in numerous ways.  They can thin out a sorghum plant until it reaches reproductive stage.  The aphid then chews on the panicles, resulting in decreased grain weight and a loss in yields.  Aphids also secrete honeydew which covers the mature plant causing a sticky and messy harvest.

Mike Brewer, field crops entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife in Corpus Christi, says in an article by Agriculture.com damage from sugarcane aphids on sorghum plants topped $50 million in damages last year.  As they spread that damage will only get worse.

"I think it is a good expectation that severity would increase.  The worst case scenario is that up to 50% of fields could be infected.  Assume 50% yield loss, based on what we know from earlier aphid infestations, and we could have $400 million economic loss statewide," Brewer said at a meeting in Corpus Christi in January.

Sugarcane aphids reproduce in the spring.  They are able to breed two to seven days after birth, laying as many as 20 nymphs per cycle.

Brewer said, "Within 6 weeks of the first winged aphid landing on the plants, you will see sooty mold and honeydew.  The plant begins giving out.  On the positive end it takes a lot of aphids before the plant succumbs to aphids sucking fluid out of the plant."

In an interview with Kansas State University's Radio Network, J.P. Michaud, Extension entomologist at K-State, says sugarcane aphids are expected to be in Kansas and Nebraska this year.  "We can be fairly sure we will have some migrants arrive here at some time, but we don't know how well they will survive," he says.

Michaud encourages sorghum growers to pay extra attention to their crop this year.  "They are noticeable because they have very short, black tailpipes on a very pale nymph," he explains.  "They colonize first on the underside of the lower leaves, and move up the plant as the leaves die.  It's a very similar feeding pattern to greenbugs."

There are no insecticides labled for sugarcane aphids on sorghum plants.  However, some exceptions have been made in Louisiana and Texas in extreme conditions.  

Michaud says lady beetles could help suppress that aphid infestation but that may take a few years.  "It may be advisable to leave small areas of fields unsprayed in order to let first responders evolve into natural control," he points out.  

Sugarcane Aphid Causing Problems

Since the fall of 2013 farmers in South Texas and North Texas along the coast farmers have noticed a new pest moving in.  The pest has been identified as a sugarcane aphid variety, but the typical yellow sugarcane aphid common in southern states.

By last years harvest that aphid population had exploded and deposited large amounts of honeydew on the sorghum crop causing a nightmare for farmers.

IPM specialist warned the aphid may have survived the winter and come back much stronger in the spring.  Early reports are suggesting the population is currently growing at an alarming rate.

The best defense against any new pest is a coordinated scouting defense.  Dr. Mike Brewer, a Texas AgriLife entomologist, laid out a scouting strategy to growers in Corpus Christi during a meeting to discuss the problem.  South West Farm Press was in attendance and shot a video of it.  Click here for part 1 and here for part 2 of the video.

For more information on sugarcane ahphids, read this Sorghum University paper.

How to Feed 9 Billion People

This is your challenge.  In 30 years you're going to have to feed 9 billion people with less land and less water.  How do you do that?

To do this, farmers will have to use the best technology available.  Including some that isn't entirely popular with the public.

South West Farm Press recently covered a event featuring speakers discussing this very topic.  The most important thing is communication with the public.  The event was the Rolling Plains Spring Field Day held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station near Chillicothe.  The event featured Julie Borlaug, granddaughter of the late Dr. Norman Borlaug, a Noble Peace Prize laureate known internationally as the "Father of the Green Revolution."

As well as speaking she moderated a wheat seed industry panel consisting of: Jon Rich with AgriPro-Syngenta in Junction City, KS; Marla Barnett with Limagrain Cereal Seeds in Wichita, KS; Sid Perry with WestBred-Monsanto in Filer, ID; and Janet Lewis with Bayer CropScience in Lincoln, NE.

March 25th was my grandfathers' birthday and many people have asked me if he was here today what would his message be about how we are going to feed 9 billion people by 2050," Borlaug said.  "I think he would probably tell you there are three areas we need to be concerned about."

Involve the Next Generation

"It's important for us to continue to train the next generation of agricultural scientist," Borlaug said.  "We need to engage students; we need engage those even outside of agriculture, because it's going to take people from various backgrounds across different disciplines to help figure out how to feed 9 billion people."

This will require new economic and political policies, advancements in engineering, medicine energy, but mostly agriculture.

We need what her grandfather called "hunger fighters."  Entrepreneurs, scientist, researchers, policy makers and farmers.

They need to embrace bold new ideas and work with people along different disciplines.  They must engage smallhold farmers and private and public sectors to come up with sustainable ideas.

"So we need to continue to reinvest in that and move our generation forward, so they will become the next Norm Borlaug and leaders in agriculture," she said.

Funding Dilema

"We need to re-engage the funding entities and those outside of agriculture to understand why their support is so important," Borlaug said.  "We are going to need a lot of technology and improvements to feed 9 billion people, especially with climate change and scarce natural resources."

The third thing she stressed is - "the misunderstanding and misinformation that's spread about agriculture."  She said that mainly comes from the anti-science, anti-GMO groups who don't understand the basic role of biotechnology in agriculture.

Borlaug said her grandfather was known to say "fear of change is the greatest obstacle to progress."

The ag sector must address the public differently.  People need to understand how important new technology, innovation and biotechnology are to our future.

"It is no longer enough to just have collective support of the research and private sector.  We must gain the support of the general public in order to move agriculture research forward."

Most arguments against these advancements are emotional and not rational.  They resonate because they fuel the anti-corporate mentality.

She brings up the GMO golden rice crop in the Philippines.  "Do you as biotech opponents really want to deny golden rice to those children who could so profoundly benefit?  Are you willing to condemn them to blindness and death out of your own ignorance?  I say out of your opposition, you are somewhat responsible for their vitamin A deficiency and blindness."

This is not to say biotechnology is the only solution.  "but we must understand that a multi-faceted integrated solution is needed."

Wheat Breeding

Wheat is the most important food crop in the world.  It's time to reinvest time and energy into the crop.  

"What's happened over the years is that in the U.S., wheat has not been looked upon as a high staple crop like corn and soybeans," Rich said.

There is a lower cost of molecular markers and the ability to "speed breed" to bring greater yields.  

"I think it has been largely customer-driven - seedsmen and farmer driven," Barnett said.  "We've seen the demand for wheat yields to be increased.  Farmers have long been asking, "Why am I still getting the same wheat yields my grandfather got while my corn yields have tripled?"

The industry has learned a lot from corn, soybeans, cotton and canola that can be applied to wheat.

GM Wheat?

Right now there is no GMO wheat on the market.  However, acceptance will be necessary the panel suggested.

"Most people don't know what GMO means; they don't know that GMO is a technique, a tool that can be used in the breeding toolbox," Lewis said.  "There is a lot of confusion on what GMO is, and it has been a slow process of education for the general public.  There is a perception issue."

The breeders agreed it is important to look into GMO and non-GMO solutions.  And if there is a non-GMO answer then that's the route to peruse because it's cheaper.  They also agreed research needs to be done on nitrogen use efficiency, heat tolerance and water use efficiency.

"We have a skeptical public, which is okay; but we also have a gullible public, which is discouraging," Perry said.  "They are willing to accept the popular view on something rather than scientific research.  So take every opportunity to educate the people around you."

GMO acceptance is more likely to come with food safety.

"It's an emotional issue to a lot of people, and an education issue," he said.  "We need to educate the people on what GMO traits can do and how we feed people correctly.  We can reduce the amount of pesticides; we can reduce the amount of nitrogen we put in the soil; we can reduce the amount of irrigation we have to apply to get those maximum yields."

In the end, the most important thing to the public will be the pocket book.  We need to make a loaf of bread cheaper and the production cheaper for the farmer.

"It's a real luxury here in the U.S. as long as our bellies are full and food is cheap, we can complain about having GMOs in our products," Perry said.  "But that is a real disservice to others in the world who don't have that luxury.  I don't know how we can get that across to our public; a lot of it is in their hands."

Could Sorghum be the Next Bioenergy Crop?

Sweet and biomass sorghum and sweet sorghum juice sugars could be the next source of of bio fuel production.

A collaborative study was done and found a significant increase in ethanol production from a combination of sweet sorghum juice and corn mash.  Sorghum Checkoff made the announcement in collaboration with  the National Corn-To-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

The study evaluated the levels of ethanol yields under conditions similar to what fuel ethanol industries use.  Sorghum sugar juice proved to be a successful replacement for processed water.  This could lead to an increase in corn ethanol production.

In a separate study, they found sweet and biomass sorghum would meet the need for next generation bio fuels that would environmentally sustainable.

Scientist from Purdue, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Illinois and Cornell University conducted the study.  In a report published in Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining, researches believe sorghum can benefit from the rail system, grain elevators and corn ethanol processing facilities already in place.

"The Midwest is uniquely poised to get the biorefining going on cellulose," reports Nick Caprita, a Purdue professor of botany and plant pathology, in a interview with South West Farm Press.  "As we move to different fuels beyond ethanol, the ethanol plants of today are equipped to take advantage of new bioenergy crops."

Sorghum could become a larger part of a national bioenergy plan.  Cliff Weil, a Purdue professor of agronomy, said some types of sorghum would require fewer inputs and could be grown on marginal lands.

"In the near future, we need a feedstock that's not corn," Weil reported.  "Sweet and biomass sorghum meet all the criteria.  They use less nitrogen, grow well and grow where other things don't grow."

One of the many advantages of sorghum is there would be less of a need for nitrogen.  Corn has been bred to produce a maximum amount of seed requiring a lot of nitrogen.  But sorghum could be genetically developed in a way to maximize cellulose, minimizes seeds and inputs.

"If you're just producing biomass and not seed, you don't need as much nitrogen," Caprita said.

Issues with Mineral Rights

You're sitting at home and there's a knock at the door.  It's an energy company wanting to buy your mineral rights.  What do you do?

With all the new issues coming up regarding energy mineral rights is becoming a major and new issue for some farmers depending on where they're located.

Despite the monetary gain a farmer could make there are environmental issues at stake.  Particularly oil/gas drilling.  And even more so with hydraulic fracturing (fracking) method of extracting natural gas.

In an interview by Delta Farm Press, James Isonhood, Mississippi assistant attorney general said, "There is a lot of misinformation about this."

Making a mineral rights deal is a very serious business he said.

"If someone knocks on your door offering to buy mineral rights, the first thing you need to do is find a lawyer who is knowledgeable about oil and gas mineral rights.  Don't use just any lawyer - be sure it's one who has knowledge of and is experience in dealing with the complicated issues in mineral rights."

Just because you own the land doesn't mean you own the mineral rights.  The mineral rights may have been sold separately many years ago.

"If someone owns the mineral rights for your property - dominate estate - they have an absolute right to recover those minerals," Isonhood says.  "If you own the mineral rights and sell or lease them to a gas company, that gives them dominate estate."

Determining who owns the mineral rights can be difficult.  "You may have to go all the way back to the original patent in the 1800's," He says.  If the property is inherited then the land would go to the heirs.  If not, then it would go to who ever it was sold to.

If their are several heirs to the property then things can get really complicated.  Have you ever had to get numerous people to make a decision?  It's like herding cats sometimes.

Stanley D. Ingram, an attorney in Jackson, Miss said there is no such thing as a "standard" oil and gas lease form.  "If there is one thing certain about today's oil and gas lease, it is that it's uncertain.  Every oil and gas lease is unique, requiring the utmost of the lawyer's review and interpretation."