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June 6, 2022
In This Edition:
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10 days left!
Register now for Michigan Wheat Program Summer Field Day June 16 in Frankenmuth
 The Michigan Wheat Program’s 2022 Summer Field Day on Thurs., June 16 is a very special day! In addition to the back-in-person wagon tours of research plots, the wheat check-off will have a very special 10-Year Celebration Program after lunch.
Both events are free of charge, sponsored by the Michigan Wheat Program, and will be held at the MSU Saginaw Valley Research & Extension Center, 3775 S. Reese Rd. in Frankenmuth.
On-site check-in and continental breakfast begin at 8:15 a.m., and wagons pull out for the plot tours at 9 a.m. Lunch is served when plot tours are concluded at noon.
The afternoon’s 10-Year Celebration Program (1-2:30 p.m.) will focus on the development, progress to date and future plans of the Michigan Wheat Program. Those who played a role in making the program successful will be recognized.
“Every year nearly 200 of the state’s wheat farmers take time out of our fields to view research results firsthand and talk with researchers about what they see and how we can apply their results on our farms,” said Jeff Krohn, chairman of the nine-member Michigan Wheat Program board and a wheat farmer from Owendale.
“The board sees the Summer Field Day as one of the ways we report back to the growers,” Krohn said. “Those who attend can see the results for themselves, ask questions and share ‘best practices’ with other farmers and the researchers. It is a very worthwhile event.”
Morning wagon tours on June 16 feature the following topics and presenters, who are funded in part by the Michigan Wheat Program:
- Wheat Variety Release Work – MSU wheat breeder Dr. Eric Olson
- Weed Control Research – Dr. Christy Sprague
- Seed Treatment and Disease Management – MSU wheat specialist Dennis Pennington and retired MSU wheat educator Martin Nagelkirk
- Canopy Cover – Dr. Manni Singh
- Spring Cereal Crops Highlighting Spring Wheat/Oats/Rye – Pennington
- Wheat Planting Methods – Singh and Patrick Copeland
Dr. Jan Byrne of the MSU Plant Diagnostics Center will evaluate on-site or accept for report-back any ailing wheat specimens brought to the event. Cost of the diagnostics service continues to be covered by the wheat check-off.
 An after-lunch highlight is the 10-Year Celebration of the Michigan Wheat Program, the Great Lakes State’s wheat check-off.
“Many people spent many years working to get a check-off program for Michigan wheat farmers,” commented its original and current executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom. “Twenty years ago, the effort to establish a wheat check-off was unsuccessful. But work performed by the Wheat 2000 Program continued to demonstrate the need for on-farm wheat research.”
Thanks to a persistent group of wheat growers and agricultural leaders who saw that growers needed more information and research, a second attempt at a wheat check-off in 2011 succeeded.
“Many people who helped get the Michigan Wheat Program established will be recognized at our 10-Year Celebration and thanked for their vision and stick-to-it-iveness to get this done,” Pollok-Newsom said.
Bob Boehm, retired from Michigan Farm Bureau, will provide an overview of the early years. Pollok-Newsom will overview the check-off’s accomplishments, and Dennis Pennington will give a current research overview and provide updates on a future-looking program. The Celebration concludes at 2:30 p.m.
For growers attending the Summer Field Day, 6 RUP credits are available and 4 CCA credits are available combined in the areas of Pest Management (1.5) and Crop Management (2.5).
To ensure an accurate count for lunch, wagon seating and celebration materials, please RSVP at www.miwheat.org under the “What’s Hot” tab on the left side. Or register by calling 1-888-WHEAT01 (888-943-2801).
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Notes from Pennington
What are growers finding in their fields?
By Dennis Pennington, MSU wheat specialist pennin34@msu.edu
Over the past two weeks, many questions and photos have been coming in about wheat growth stages and diseases. While much of the wheat crop looks good, there are a few problems being reported.
Here are a few pictures texted to me and a brief description of what is going on in each one.
Figure 1. Septoria results in irregular shaped tan to brown lesions, generally found in the lower canopy first.
Figure 1 was sent in by a grower in mid-Michigan about two weeks ago. This is Septoria tritici blotch of wheat caused by the Zymoseptoria tritici fungus. Cool, wet weather favors infection which usually means this is an early season disease. Crop rotation, residue management, varietal differences and fungicides are used to manage this pest.
Click here for more information on Septoria.
Figure 2. Cephalosporium stripe of wheat.
Cephalosporium stripe of wheat is caused by a fungus infecting the vascular tissue in the roots during the fall and winter. Lower leaves show symptoms first. In severe infections, heads become bleached and die, ending grain fill prematurely.
There are no fungicides that can help with this disease. In fields that carry this pathogen, plant 1-2 weeks later than normal, plant resistant varieties and extend the crop rotation for three years or more if possible. Utilize tillage to reduce residue cover on the surface and help to reduce inoculum.
Click here to review Cephalosporium ratings in the 2021 MSU Performance Trials located on pages 11-14. Click here for more information on Cephalosporium from the Crop Protection Network.
Figure 3. Powdery mildew of wheat.
Powdery mildew has not been as big a problem so far this year as it was in 2021, but I have received several reports and this photo of powdery mildew in wheat. Disease development is favored by cool, humid and dry conditions.
There are big differences in varietal resistance so make sure to select resistant varieties when you can.
Also, when scouting fields, scout all varieties. The grower that sent this scouted one field and sent me a photo of very clean, nice-looking wheat. When he scouted the other variety – this is what he found.
Figure 4. Bent wheat head caused by awnlets getting caught in auricles.
We see this every year somewhere in Michigan. Heads that get caught on the auricles of the flag leaf when emerging just after the boot stage.
In some cases, the heads are able to push up through and break free. Other times they emerge through the leaf sheath just below the flag leaf collar.
There is usually no yield loss, unless the head is broken. But that is rare. This is thought to be caused by cool overnight temperatures during head emergence.
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Preharvest weed control in winter wheat: Options and concerns
Dr. Christy Sprague, MSU extension weed specialist
 Weeds could be a problem at wheat harvest this season, due to the lack of early-season weed control applied from this season’s shortened herbicide application window. Weeds present at harvest can lead to issues with harvesting as ‘green’ weed tissue can plug up many machines and cause dockages at the point of sale.
To help combat some of these weed issues, harvest aids or preharvest herbicide treatments can be applied prior to wheat harvest.
Currently, there are five different herbicides labeled as harvest aids for winter wheat. They are applied to desiccate or suppress weeds that can hinder wheat harvest. They will not improve wheat yield nor greatly reduce weed seed production.
Glyphosate, 2,4-D amine/ester, Aim, Clarity and Sharpen are harvest aid options for Michigan wheat farmers. The effectiveness in weed desiccation and improving wheat harvestability varies by each of these herbicides.
In MSU research, glyphosate and glyphosate tank-mixtures have been the most effective for weed desiccation, except for glyphosate-resistant horseweed (marestail).
End User Concerns. However, buyers and consumers have voiced concerns about glyphosate residues in harvested grain. While glyphosate applications are legal once wheat is past the hard-dough stage (<30% grain moisture), glyphosate residues can still be detected even though they are below maximum residue levels (MRLs). In MSU research, the highest glyphosate residue detected was 37.5 times lower than the CODEX MRL of 30,000 ppb.
To avoid consumer concerns, if a preharvest treatment is needed farmers should consider using one of the other herbicides labeled for preharvest use in winter wheat including 2,4-D, Aim, Clarity and Sharpen.
Of these, Sharpen has been the most effective for desiccating common ragweed and glyphosate-resistant horseweed.
For more information on herbicide application use rates, additives, and preharvest intervals consult Table 3D of the 2022 MSU Weed Control Guide for Field Crops (E0434). Click here to consult the Guide.
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King Milling Co. receives $250,000 state grant to expand capacity
 In late May, the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted to approve grants to five Michigan businesses involved in the food and agriculture industry.
Among the investments approved was a $250,000 award to King Milling Co. in Lowell for construction of a monolithic flour mill with the future capacity to mill 10,000 hundredweight daily. This is good news for the state’s wheat farmers!
Included in King’s expansion plans covered by the grant are wheat storage bins and tempering bins, along with enhanced wheat cleaning capacity, increased milling capacity and eight finished flour bins with 2,250 hundredweight capacity each.
“This is the largest single investment King Milling Company has made in its long, 132-year history,” said Brian Doyle, president of King Milling Company. “It is a long-term investment that will provide benefits to Michigan’s agriculture and food processing sectors for many years to come.”
“We appreciate and thank the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for its assistance on this significant project,” Doyle said. King is a family-operated flour milling company established in 1890, and located in Lowell.
 When completed, the expansion will boost production to 7,500 hundred-weights of flour each day and have future capacity for 10,000 hundred-weights. The new mill will be able to use an additional 17,000 bushels of wheat per day. The bulk flour loadout system will have eight bins, each with a capacity of 225,000 pounds of flour.
Plans are to break ground on this project next month, with completion anticipated by December 2023. The company plans to hire six new employees.
The additional capacity will allow the company to produce more hard and soft wheat flours for bakers, cereal companies and food manufacturers throughout Michigan and neighboring states.
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Send ailing wheat samples to MSU Plant Diagnostic Laboratory
Free, courtesy of Michigan Wheat Program
Michigan wheat farmers have support again this year from the Michigan Wheat Program when it comes to identifying the reasons wheat fails.
 To help identify the cause of problems, the Michigan Wheat Program has partnered with and funded an innovative program with Michigan State University’s Plant Diagnostic Laboratory.
The program, begun in mid-2013, allows wheat farmers to submit samples free of charge to the lab which diagnoses general crop health, cultures fungal and bacterial pathogens, tests for viruses, analyzes nematodes, and detects and identifies insect pests.
In many cases, the lab recommends mitigation or crop improvement strategies, which are sent to you by e-mail for rapid implementation. If the problem needs more intervention, growers can expect a call from MSU Wheat Specialist, Dennis Pennington thanks to support from the Michigan Wheat Program.
At the end of each growing season, the lab reviews all wheat samples looking for trends or possible new disease or pest issues. This allows the Michigan Wheat Program’s board of directors to quickly identify new issues facing wheat farmers and fund research in those areas during its annual research funding.
Farmers with a wheat sample for analysis should click here to download the necessary documents, including instructions for submitting samples as well as the official MSU Plant Diagnostic Lab submittal form.
 For a refresher on best practices for collecting a high-quality sample to send for diagnostic testing, click here to watch a 5-minute May 2020 video by Dennis Pennington, MSU wheat specialist, and Ricardo Costa, former MSU Extension field crops educator.
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Hauk Seed Farm Field Day set for June 13 in Mt. Pleasant
 Point your car toward Mt. Pleasant next Monday, June 13, for the annual Central Michigan Wheat Field Day at the Hauck Seed Farm. Hosts Mike and Gary Hauck will have updates on disease, insect and weed management, and varietal plot tours.
Speakers include MSU wheat specialist Dennis Pennington, MSUE field crops educators Paul Gross and Monica Jean, and a representative from Star of the West to give a market update.
The program takes place from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Hauck Seed Farm, located at 498 W. Weidman Rd., one-half mile west of Meridian Road, in Mt. Pleasant. 2 RUP credits are available. Questions about the event may be directed to Paul Gross at (989) 317-4079.
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Learn the latest on weed control
2022 MSU Weed Tour scheduled June 29
Dr. Christy Sprague and Erin Burns, Extension Weed Specialists, Michigan State University
 We’re excited to invite you to the 2022 Michigan State University Weed Tour at the MSU Plant Pathology Farm (3735 College Rd. in Lansing) on the MSU Campus on Weds., June 29. The tour will provide ample opportunity for participants to look at corn and soybean research plots and participate in some short field presentations.
Registration/check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and donuts. The field tour kicks off at 9:30 a.m. and concludes with lunch.
After lunch, for those interested there will be two concurrent tours in horticultural crops and non-GMO soybeans that begin at 1 p.m. The horticultural crop tour will be located at the MSU Horticulture Farm on College Road, south of Jolly Road and the non-GMO soybean tour will remain at the MSU Plant Pathology Farm.
Recertification credits have been requested for Certified Crop Advisors and Private, Commercial Core, and Category 1A Pesticide Applicator Licenses.
Cost to attend is $30 per participant, which includes a tour booklet and lunch. Pre-registration is required and closes June 22. Click here to register or get more information.
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Calendar of events
If you are planning to have a field day or other meeting that provides information on wheat, please let us know and we can include it in future editions of this Wheat Wisdom e-newsletter. Drop an email to jody@miwheat.org.
- Thurs., June 16, 2022 – MICHIGAN WHEAT PROGRAM SUMMER FIELD DAY, Saginaw Valley Research & Extension Center, Frankenmuth.
- August 10 – Center for Excellence Field Day.
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