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July 26, 2020
In This Edition:
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Notes from Pennington
MSU wheat specialist dashes across state harvesting wheat research plots at peak, gathering data
Tweets from the field by Dennis Pennington, MSU wheat specialist pennin34@msu.edu
 While he didn’t have time to pen an article for us this month, MSU wheat specialist Dennis Pennington is working while the sun shines to harvest the individual wheat research plots around the state.
Harvesting research plots is challenging due to the small size of the plots and the intensity and precision of data collection from each small plot. In 2020, the job is more complex due to the challenges created by COVID-19.
But Dennis has figured it out and sent these pictures from the field, including a tweet from his Twitter account.
[ screen shot from Twitter ]
Click here to access Dennis's Tweet.
Thanks, Dennis. Catch you next month with high-management trial results!
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Cover crops are on deck as wheat, and other small grains are being harvested
 Updated by Ricardo Costa-Silva (pictured) and Christina Curell, MSU Extension
Original author: Dr. Erin Hill
As the harvest of wheat and other small grain crops is occurring in parts of Michigan, it’s time to consider options for planting cover crops. Allowing a cover crop to take advantage of the remaining two to three months of favorable weather conditions can protect the soil from erosion by wind and water, scavenge nutrients for future cash crops, and feed the organisms in the soil food web.
Cover crops also help prevent summer annual weeds from producing seed and winter annual weeds from emerging, and possibly provide an opportunity for grazing.
Selecting a cover crop for your operation comes down to assessing your goals and desired management strategies, and considering if the herbicide applications made to the wheat crop may limit your options.
What are your cover cropping goals?
 A goal such as weed suppression requires a cover crop that will emerge quickly and cover the soil surface to increase competition for light, water, and nutrients, and reduce further emergence. Quick emerging cover crops include oilseed radish (pictured here), oats, sorghum-sudangrass, and cereal rye.
If adding nitrogen to the system is your goal, then planting a legume would be your best option. Legume choices include medium red clover, crimson clover, field pea, sweet clover and hairy vetch.
The MSU Extension fact sheet, “Cover Crop Choices Following Winter Wheat,” details specific options and planting recommendations, and can be found on the MSU Cover Crops website.
Another resource to assess which cover crops will meet your goals is the Cover Crop Selector Tools from the Midwest Cover Crop Council. This interactive tool incorporates local climate information, soil characteristics and personal goals to tailor your cover crop search. It also provides printable information sheets for species of interest.
If you are new at integrating cover crops into your rotation, the MSU Extension cover crop team has come up with a “recipe” for you: “Michigan Cover Crop Recipe – Post Wheat, Going to Soybean or Corn: Use Oats and Radish Mix”.
How will you plant the cover crop?
Often, cover crops can be planted using a drill, planter or broadcast seeder. Larger-seeded species, such as rye, pea and sorghum-sudangrass, benefit from being placed in the soil profile, and therefore, a drill or planter are the best choices.
If broadcast seeding is used, light incorporation is recommended to improve seed to soil contact.
How will you terminate the cover crop?
If you’re looking for a cover crop that does not require termination, species or combinations of species such as radish, turnips, mustards, oats and sorghum-sudangrass may be good choices as they will not survive a typical Michigan winter.
Cover crops that are likely to survive winter include red clover, crimson clover, winter pea, hairy vetch, cereal rye, winter wheat, winter triticale, winter barley, annual ryegrass, and Dwarf Essex rapeseed.
All of these covers will require termination via tillage or herbicides in spring (see “Cover Crop Termination”). Certain cover crops, such as annual ryegrass, with their extensive root system, can require multiple termination efforts (see “Tips for terminating an annual ryegrass cover crop”) and may be more suited to an experienced cover crop user.
Are there any limitations based on your herbicide applications to the small grain?
Depending on the species, cover crops are sometimes, but not often, listed in the crop rotation intervals on the herbicide labels.
You can find recommendations on how fall and spring herbicide applications in wheat will impact frost-seeded red clover in the 2020 MSU Weed Control Guide for Field Crops” (E0434). These recommendations could be used to conservatively assess any risks to seeding red clover following wheat.
For other species, there are recommendations that were released from North Dakota State University in 2017. Their research shows the herbicide Widematch (applied in spring, clopyralid and fluroxypyr- Group 4 synthetic auxins) had the greatest potential for injury (cover crops planted 2-2.5 months after herbicide application), with radish, turnip and rapeseed being 21-50% damaged and field pea and lentil being 51-100% damaged.
Spring applications of Clarity (dicamba - Group 4) also showed injury potential on radish, lentil, flax and barley at 21-50% injury, and turnip at 51-100% injury. The full chart listing the risk of injury can be found in the North Dakota State University article, “How do wheat herbicides affect fall cover crops?”
For more information regarding cover crops make sure to contact your local MSU Cover Crops Expert.
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Will 2020 be an increased yield for the Great Lakes State?
 Michigan farmers are waiting to see if USDA’s June 11th prediction of an increased yield of 81 bushels per acre is going to come true!
The last few years, Michigan’s average wheat yield per acre has decreased due to some tough fall weather and growers’ inability to get their wheat into the ground in ideal conditions. In fact, the average yield for the 2019 harvest was only 71 bushels per acre. Both of these metrics compare with Michigan’s bin-busting record of 89 bushels per acre in 2016.
This June, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Great Lakes Region office released a harvest forecast indicating Michigan wheat growers would harvest 460,000 acres this summer, down from 490,000 acres in 2019. Planted acres last fall were 520,000 acres versus 540,000 planted in fall 2018.
Despite the reduced acreage, NASS forecast total Michigan production to be 37.26 million bushels – including an increased yield of 81 bushels/acre in June.
When the final numbers are in later this summer, if that yield forecast pans out the 2020 wheat yield will be up 10 bushels/acre above 2019 and the crop will be – up nearly 3.2 million bushels from last year.
In the rest of the US, the forecast has not been so rosy, but is about remaining flat: Total production of 1.2 billion bushels would be a 38 million bushel increase from a year ago. Meanwhile, average national yield was predicted to be 52.1 bushels/acre, down from 53.6 bushels/acre a year ago.
Cross your fingers and stay tuned!
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Replay: Summer Field Day videos live on Michigan Wheat website
The Michigan Wheat Program held its first virtual field day on June 10th, becoming the first ag commodity organization to partner with MSU and MSU Extension on a virtual conference.
MWP executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom partnered with MSU wheat specialist Dennis Pennington, on the development of the first virtual Field Day. Thanks to the great partnership along with support from MSU researchers, staff and specialists the 3-hour meeting had nearly as many registrations as a “real life” Summer Field Day.
If you missed it, don’t fret! The videos have all been uploaded to the Michigan Wheat Program website as well as the Michigan Wheat Program channel on YouTube. On the next rainy day, you can relive the conference on your phone, tablet or laptop computer.
The line-up of presentations included:
Research Presentations
Dr. Christy Sprague – Weed Control
Manni Singh, Dennis Pennington – Precision Planting
Marty Chilvers, Martin Nagelkirk – Disease
Dennis Pennington – Planting Date, Seeding Rate
Dr. Kurt Steinke – Fertility
Dr. Eric Olson – Variety Improvement
Regional Crop Reports from MSU Extension
Paul Gross, Bruce MacKellar, Monica Jean, Christian Tollini, Bob Battel, Ricardo Costa, Martin Nagelkirk, Dennis Pennington
Report on new Michigan Wheat Yield Contest
Jody Pollok-Newsom, MI Wheat Program Executive Director (pictured here).
Click here for the 10 videos, as well as PowerPoint slides and publications associated with the 2020 Summer Field Day.
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Gov. Whitmer makes appointments to Michigan Wheat Program board
The Michigan Wheat Program board has nine members, and three of those seats are up for appointment or re-appointment each summer. As the wheat check-off nears its 10th anniversary, the founding board members are reaching their term limits and more new members are coming onto the board.
This year, the Governor made two new appointments and one re-appointment that were announced in June.
Reappointed  to a third term on the board is Sally McConnachie of Deckerville (District 5). McConnachie is a 34-year partner in Dave’s Dirt, LLC, along with her husband, their daughter and son-in-law. The farm is particularly attuned to value-added ventures and grower cooperatives. Click here for more on McConnachie’s bio, including her service as township treasurer and seat on the board of directors for the National Association of Wheat Growers.
 Newly appointed is Jeff Krohn
(pictured) of Owendale (District 7). Krohn is the owner of Northern Thumb Crop Consulting and manages his own family farm, Krohn Acres, which produces wheat, corn, soybeans, dry beans, sugar beets and alfalfa. Krohn replaced Dave Milligan of Cass City, who was term limited off the board.
 The second new appointment is Carl Wagner III (photo at bottom) of Niles (District 2) a member of Wagner Family Farms; a retail agronomist for Co-Alliance, LLP; and the owner and operator of C3 Seeds of Niles. Wagner holds a Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Agronomic Sciences from Michigan State University. Wagner succeeds Marc Hasenick, who did not seek reappointment.
Each of these seats expires May 31, 2023.
The Michigan Wheat Program board has nine members comprised of eight wheat farmers from across the state and one miller representative. Each year three board seats are up for appointment or re-appointment.
If you have interest in one of the board positions click here for the district map, then check the board biographies page to see when the seat was last appointed.
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Michigan Wheat elects 2020-2021 officers
Following announcement of the new members, the Michigan Wheat Program board conducted its annual election of officers at its June meeting. The officers for the coming year are:
 Chairman – Bill Hunt (pictured), Davison (District 4)
Vice Chairman – Brent Wagner, Grawn (District 8)
Secretary – Art Loeffler, Frankenmuth (representing millers)
Treasurer – Tony Bohac, Owosso (District 6)
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Milligan to continue active role with wheat board, maintain NAWG relationship
 One of the outstanding leaders in the Michigan wheat industry for the last 15 years has been David Milligan of Cass City. Click here to review his bio.
Milligan served on the charter committee that tried twice to create a wheat check-off, which was successful on its second grower vote. He was appointed by Gov. Snyder to the board of the Michigan Wheat Program and promptly elected chairman – a position he has held for the nine years since his board appointment.
Following expressions of thanks to Milligan for his years of service leading the board, Milligan shared his thoughts about the great privilege of leading the new check-off through its founding years.
The board agreed unanimously to create an ad hoc (nonvoting) position and to retain Milligan in that position. This allows the board to benefit from his experience and past involvement. With Milligan currently serving as president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, retaining him on the Michigan Wheat board also maintains a very important connection for the wheat check-off.
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More Board news: Evaluation, award of 2021 research proposals set for August
 In April at the height of the pandemic, the Michigan Wheat Program put out its call for research proposals thinking that researchers would have more time to draft them during the lull in regular activities.
All proposals are due to the Michigan Wheat Program’s executive director Jody Pollok-Newsom by August 14, and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Board and funding decisions made at the customary two-day August research meeting in Okemos.
Several continuation projects are anticipated, as well as new projects. Most proposals come from Michigan State University researchers and must address stated priorities for the industry that have been developed by the Board. Click here to read more about the research proposal process and the priorites of the Michigan Wheat Board.
Funded projects will be announced in a fall issue of Wheat Wisdom.
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Governor proclaims July is Wheat Month in Michigan
 As Michigan’s wheat harvest got underway earlier this month, the Michigan Wheat Program requested and Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed July 2020 as Wheat Month in Michigan. The official proclamation from the Governor notes that wheat is grown on nearly 5,000 Michigan farms, producing approximately 36 million bushels of wheat on a half-million acres.
The annual farm-gate value of Michigan wheat is $249 million. Value is added to the crop by the state’s six mills, which produce breakfast cereals, wheat berries (kernels), soups and wheat flour used to make pastries, cakes, baking mixes, cookies, pretzels, pies and crackers, among other products.
In making the proclamation, Gov. Whitmer “joined with the Michigan Wheat Program in celebrating the importance of Michigan’s wheat farmers and all of the millers, food companies and businesses that utilize the bountiful wheat crop.” As the COVID pandemic wanes, Whitmer has resumed issuing proclamations and the Michigan Wheat Program feels fortunate to have been recognized.
This tribute to Michigan wheat farmers as they bring in the crop is fitting, said Dave Milligan, outgoing nine-year chairman of the Michigan Wheat Program, who is also the 2020-2021 president of the National Association of Wheat Growers.
“Michigan wheat farmers perform exceptionally well, producing on average 80 bushels per acre vs. the US average of 52 bushels per acre,” Milligan said. “As the board of the Michigan wheat check-off, we work toward investing in research with the dual goals of even stronger yields and higher quality.”
Harvest began around July 4th in southern Michigan, with recent hot, dry weather helping finish off the crop nicely in many parts of the state.
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What do the Michigan Wheat Watchers have to say about the crop?
Comments received July 20-22, 2020
 Martin Nagelkirk has worked with a Wheat Watchers group for several years and shares their comments through his newsletter. We thought it might be good to add that to our e-newsletter and share these harvest notes with all of you. Here’s what your counterparts across Michigan are seeing in their wheat fields earlier this week.
By Martin Nagelkirk (nagelkir@msu.edu)
Bay Co. (Auburn) - Chris Schmidt, Schmidt Farms of Auburn (July 21)
Probably 95% of the wheat in the area surrounding Auburn is harvested. I had predicted harvest to launch July 17th this season but hot, dry conditions brought harvest along earlier than that and a considerable number of growers were already wrapped up by the 17th. July 17th was 6 weeks from the first observed wheat head emerging from the plant. The yield goal posts this season seem to be 70 bushels/acre on one end and 125 bushels/acre at the other, with most growers I’ve talked to saying their crop landed at about the 50-yard line. Drowned out areas in late planted fields dragged the average yield down. Early planted wheat won the game. Test weights and other quality measures have been favorable this season. Falling numbers and DON have not been a part of any conversations I've had. Heavy rains that moved across the state on Sunday, July 19, will take a point or so off the test weight of the crop still in the field.
Gratiot Co. (Middleton) - Phil Tuggle, MAC (July 22)
Wheat harvest is 95%-plus completed. Disappointing season – acreage is way down and yields are also reduced. Top yields around 90 bushels/acre but a lot of the crop only went 65 to 70 bushels/acre. Test weights are mostly 58 and 59. Quality is very good as fall numbers are high and DON almost nonexistent.
Huron Co. (Bad Axe) - Tim Wilke, Cooperative Elevator Co. (July 22)
Harvest is 80 to 90% complete. Yields are mostly between 90 and 110 bushels/acre, though sandy soils are much lower. There have been no issues with falling numbers or DON. Hearing concerns about stinking smut problems in a few fields.
Huron Co. (Owendale) - Jeffery Krohn, Krohn Farms (July 20)
The wheat is about 70% harvested on the eastern side of Michigan. The early planted wheat yielded about 10 to 20 bushels/acre better than the late planted wheat. Yields have been from 125 bushels/acre to 65 bushels/acre. (It just depends how much sandy soil is in the field.) Test weights have been from 58 to 62. Falling numbers have been excellent, from 300 to 410, and I’ve heard of very little DON deductions in our area.
Ingham County (Mason) - Dennis Pennington, MSU (July 21)
As observations for Central Michigan: About 80-90% of the harvest is completed. Yields range from 65 bushels/acre on light sandy ground to 95 bushels/acre on heavier ground. Early planted wheat had good yield potential and higher incidence of lodging. Test weights range from 54 to 62 lbs/bushel. (This is variety specific). No falling numbers or DON deductions reported around here.
Ingham Co. (Okemos) - Steve Wagner, Agri Business Consulting (July 22)
Harvest is about 80% complete. Average yield is approximately 70 bushels/acre. Have not heard how test weights are doing. Quality is very good relative to falling numbers and DON.
Isabella Co. (Mt. Pleasant) - Paul Gross, MSU (July 21)
Harvest is about 95% in this area. Yields might average 70 bushels/acre. Our yield was more based on soil type than planting date. (The hot, dry weather just knocked the yield down on lighter soils.) Test weights were mostly 51 to 58. There seem to be no issues relative to DON or falling number levels.
Lenawee Co. (Adrian) - Ricardo Costa Silva, MSU (July 21)
I would say harvest is something around 60-80% complete. I still have growers that weren’t able to harvest due to the rain and high moisture. I am hearing yields ranging from 70-100 bushels/acre and around 60 lb. test weight. DON levels are low.
Monroe Co. (Ida) – Mark Metz, (July 21)
Though 90% of wheat is harvested, a few rainfalls delayed completion. Yields ranged from 65 to 100 bushels/acre. Grain size is noticeably smaller. Initially, test weights were 60 lbs. plus, but repeated rainfalls during harvest decreased weights to maybe 55 and 56 lbs. for late harvested wheat.
Muskegon Co. (Ravenna) - Dean Kantola, Kantola Farms (July 22)
It looks like we still have 30 to 40 percent of the crop to be harvest here in West Michigan with yields anywhere from the 40 to 90 bushels/acre range and test weights of 57 to 58. The DON levels that I have seen are low and under 1 part per million.
Newaygo Co. (Newaygo) - Mackenzy Blair, MAC (July 22)
Wheat harvest in the immediate area is 90% done. Most producers are saying they are 10-15 bushels/acre off of normal on yields, with the range being anywhere from 20-85 bushels/acre. Average test weights on both red and white have been right around 58 with a range of 53-61.5. DON levels have been nonexistent this year, so that is definitely a plus. Falling numbers have looked really good as well, with average daily composites at 382 for red and 370 for white.
Tuscola Co. (Caro) - Robert Battel, MSU Extension (July 22)
I’m hearing 95 - 110 bushels/acre in this area, with most saying right around 100. There is small kernel size, as you would expect with the heat we experienced at grain fill. Test weights are running mostly 57-62 lbs. Overall, we have good quality with no concerns over falling numbers or DON.
Sanilac Co. (Sandusky) - Martin Nagelkirk, MSU, retired (July 21)
Harvest is about 85% complete. We have had strong wheat stands all season. Yields are good, a bit more than expected given the hot and dry weather in June and the constricted grain-fill period. Many fields ran 90 to 120 bushels/acre, though untiled or course soils were more likely in the 75 to 85 bushels/acre range. Early seeded fields had a 10 bushel/are advantage over late planted. Test weights are mostly good. Have not heard any concerns over falling numbers or DON. Lodging has been a problem in some fields. Crown or lower stem diseases may have contributed to lodging in some cases. Multiple loads of wheat were rejected due to stinking smut in southern Huron and in eastern Tuscola, this despite the use of seed treatment.
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Need to know: What your friends may not know about Michigan wheat
- About 5,000 Michigan farmers planted 520,000 acres of wheat last fall, of which 460,000 acres will be harvested. Some acres are not harvested due to maturity issues, winter or water damage.
- Wheat is grown on 5,000 farms in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, in at least 78 counties.
- Michigan farmers will harvest about 37.2 million bushels of wheat by late July, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
- The average Michigan wheat farm will harvest 81 bushels per acre this year, compared with the national average of 52 bushels per acre.
- 2016 was Michigan’s highest-yield, yielding 89 bushels per acre. 2020 won’t hit that record, but the crop is 55% above the national average.
- Once harvested, wheat travels either to a local elevator or miller or is stored on-farm. It is purchased during the rest of the year by elevators, processors, millers, distillers and brewers.
- Almost all Michigan wheat is processed into food products within the state or great lakes region – keeping value-added food production in Michigan and enhancing profitability for the farmer.
- Wheat helps reduce erosion because it provides ground cover during the high-rain periods in fall and early spring. Wheat also enriches soil by capturing nitrogen and adding organic matter.
- Michigan’s top-five wheat producing counties are Huron, Sanilac, Lenawee, Tuscola and Saginaw.
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Sign up now for Aug. 13 morning conference call!
AgTalks™ Michigan Town Hall lets Michigan wheat farmers learn, weigh in on national ag policy
Trade is critical to Michigan and US farmers. Ag exports, including wheat, account for 20% of all farm revenue, impacting quality of life in rural communities and strengthening the ag business sector.
To learn more about the value of ag exports to their crops and to share their thoughts on trade and trade-related issues, Michigan farmers are invited to participate in AgTalks™, a Michigan Virtual Town Hall that takes place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 13.
The 90-minute free call-in meeting will include a panel of Michigan ag leaders discussing international trade, supply chains and the future of American agriculture, including a trade agenda for the future.
 One of the ag leaders speaking during the event is wheat’s own, Dave Milligan, President of NAWG.
The meeting has been organized by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Corn Growers Association, National Milk Producers Federation, US Dairy Export Council, Plant Based Products Council, Corn Refiners Association, Farmers for Free Trade and many others including the Michigan Wheat Program.
The Michigan call is one in a national series, and will ultimately help develop a road map for expanding opportunities for American farmers and ag businesses in 2021 and beyond.
To reserve your spot for the AgTalks Michigan Town Hall click here: https://p2a.co/3woEgyX or text “AgTalks Michigan” to 52886. Click here to learn more about AgTalks™ in general. www.AgTalks.net
So, register now, and take an early lunch at the kitchen table on August 13 while you tune in for a unique AgTalks™!
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Calendar of events
 With harvest at hand, there’s not much on our events calendar! See you next time.
August 12 Center for Excellence Field Day: On hold. Click here to check on this event as the date gets closer.
August 13 AgTalks™ Michigan Town Hall, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Mid-August Release of the MSU Variety Trials and High Management Plot Results!
The staff and board of the Michigan Wheat Program wish you a safe, high-quality, high-yielding harvest!
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