Wheat Tour Projects Another Year of Record Yields 

BY RHIANNON BRANCH FarmWeek

For the second year in a row, data collected from the Southern Illinois Wheat Tour projected a record weighted average yield. This year’s estimate is 106 bushels per acre.

The tour, organized by the Illinois Wheat Association, included four groups that collected tiller and spikelet count samples from 89 fields in 22 counties May 20.

“Everything looked good even before crunching the numbers,” Jessica Rutkoski, a wheat breeder with the University of Illinois, told FarmWeek. “There was some lodging, but we’ve had some pretty severe weather, so that’s not really too surprising.”

Yield estimates ranged from 50 bushels per acre in Coles County to 154 bushels in Clark County, with projections for 14 of the sampled counties exceeding 100 bushels.

“Last year we had head scab and some other issues that interfered with good grain filling,” she said. “There definitely is potential for scab again and I expect that we probably will have a little bit lower yield than what we predicted just because of the potential for lower kernel weight.”

Richland County Farm Bureau member and wheat grower Bill Burgener helped check fields in Effingham and Shelby counties and said so far the crop looks comparable to the past few seasons.

Wheat stands look good in many fields around the state as the crop enters the home stretch before harvest begins next month. (Photo by Catrina Rawson)

“I’m still a little concerned about quality, because it’s not showing up now, but head scab can bite you overnight,” he told FarmWeek, noting the recent wet conditions and forecast of more rain.

Aside from yield estimates, the tour provided a variety of benefits to participants.

Rutkoski said she got a better idea of management practices and trends in the area. Of the fields she saw, Rutkoski noted a wide range of row spacing and that every field had been sprayed with fungicide.

“Some of the fields we visited had been planted after corn so that seems to be maybe gaining popularity here in Illinois,” she said.

Burgener said he enjoys joining the tour during years where rain delays put corn and soybean planting on pause.

“I get to be around other people and professionals in the business and see what I can learn from them,” Bergener said. “Just being out in the fields and hands on is a great benefit to me just to actually touch, feel and participate.”

Larry Cooper, owner of Crop Vision Consulting LLC in West Salem, joined the tour with representatives from Siemer Milling Company.

“I enjoy getting to see Siemer’s relationship with the consumers,” Cooper said. “It makes me appreciate a little more all the interaction that they do and the value that they add to wheat as a crop.”

Moving forward, Rutkoski said the wheat crop in southern Illinois could use some drier weather, but the cooler forecast should be beneficial for grain fill. The crop is on pace for an average harvest period.

“Some say that it might be a little bit behind schedule compared to average, so that’s possible,” Rutkoski said. “A good rule of thumb is June 20 for the beginning of harvest in southern Illinois, and I think that’s probably where it’ll be this year.”

As of May 19, USDA reported wheat heading in Illinois was behind the average pace at 63%. The department rated the condition of the crop 5% poor, 35% fair, 49% good and 11% excellent.