Sprouting wheat: a bad situation made worse

Wheat acreage dropped in the South for the 2008/09 crop, which was a blessing in many areas.

This has turned out to be a disappointing crop in much of the region due to heavy, persistent rain in April and May. Diseases flared, even where fungicides were applied on time. Growers who planted susceptible varieties and couldn't make fungicide applications on schedules were often left with crops that weren't worth harvesting, and what would have been a contribution to cash flow has now turned into an expensive cover in the absence of crop insurance.

Now, growers are dealing with sprouting issues. Grain dried down to the point it could have been harvested, but then rain developed again, keeping combines out of the field and exposing vulnerable grain to enough moisture to sprout the seed.

Dewey Lee, Georgia Extension Wheat Specialist, has been dealing with this issue and distributed an advisory last week.

Click here to download Lee's observations and recommendations.

Initial reports came from Georgia. But we're also hearing about sprouting in south Alabama. As wheat harvest moves north, more of this probably will be encountered. Farmers who might have been cutting wheat over the last week in the Midsouth were forced, instead, to finish planting other crops delayed by the rain, replant acres lost earlier and catch up on fertilizer and herbicide work across the board.

Rain moved into the region on Thursday, which could promote sprouting in some fields.

Most elevators in the affected areas are rejecting loads with sprouting of 4% or more, based on our conversations with several growers and Extension workers. In certain areas, 30% to 40% of the loads are above the limit. A handful of elevator operators, though, are buying the grain and finding a home for it in the feed market, albeit with dockage.

-- Owen Taylor