Wheat Rx seminars share K-State research results with Kansas producers

As wheat fields green up across Kansas, a pair of Wheat Rx seminars in early March delivered expert advice to growers on how to unlock the genetic potential of wheat varieties for their specific geographies and operations and use research-informed methods to produce high-yielding and high-quality wheat. 

“Wheat Rx is the Kansas farmer’s prescription for combining best management practices and variety selection for the economical and sustainable production of high-quality winter wheat,” said Aaron Harries, vice president of research and operations for Kansas Wheat. “Informed by the research investments made by Kansas wheat producers through the Kansas Wheat Commission, these seminars are just what the doctor ordered for learning how to maximize profitability through variety selection and practices on the ground.” 

The March seminars took place in Dodge City and Wichita. Presenters included a rundown of leading experts from Kansas State University that discussed cover crops and soil health, soil fertility, fungicides and the economics of wheat production. 

Gregg Ibendhal and Daniel O’Brien, professors in K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics, shared the trends and predictions for wheat profitability in Kansas. They noted that machinery costs are still the largest expense category for growers, although that category is getting smaller. It’s no surprise that fertilizer expenses have increased greatly along with interest rates but explained the futures markets have not fully captured the risk of the continued Russian/Ukraine war. They also discussed the current and future supply and demand situation for the world’s major wheat importers and exporters. 

Outside of the kernels in the bin, Dr. Romulo Lollato, K-State associate professor of wheat and forage production, discussed the agronomic, ecological and economic benefits of diversifying crop rotations with wheat. He walked through the impacts of simplified crop rotations due to a steep reduction in wheat acreage to food security and biodiversity. Conversely, after a comprehensive review of more than 300 peer-reviewed studies, his team outlined the benefits of adding wheat back into crop rotations, including forage production, dual-purpose use for grazing, weed control, interruption of pest population cycles and other benefits. 

Speaking of disease and pest management, Kelsey Andersen Onofre, K-State assistant professor of plant pathology, presented on the management of the major wheat diseases in Kansas. Statewide, diseases like stripe rust, Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV), and scab are responsible for the most yield lost from 2013-2023. She walked through her research into disease management, including optimal timing of applications, the impact of dual applications, the influence of plant population and how well fungicides work in combination with variety resistance. 

Moving from above to below ground level, Carlos Pires, a K-State agronomy post-doctoral student, discussed methods to improve soil health. He emphasized the benefits of regenerative ag practices like minimizing disturbance through no-till or minimum-till, maximizing soil cover through practices like cover crops, maximizing biodiversity through a mix of cash and cover crop or an integrated crop-livestock system and maximizing continuous living roots by reducing fallow and increasing cover cropping. He concluded that integrating cover crops into crop rotation will increase soil carbon, the amount of microbes, biological activity and aggregation to retain water, recognizing that these practices take financial investments and time. 

The seminar ended with a discussion of fertility management specific to wheat by Dorivar Ruiz Diaz, K-State professor and soil fertility specialist. He discussed the most important nutrients to manage for wheat, including nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, chloride and lime (for low pH soils). He also walked through how growers can manage both yield and quality, including nitrogen volatilization and placement and the interaction of protein with nitrogen management. 

The seminars are part of Wheat Rx, a partnership between Kansas Wheat and K-State Research and Extension to disseminate the latest research recommendations for high-yielding and high-quality wheat to Kansas wheat farmers. This effort includes a series of extension publications and educational outreach like the March seminars.

“We’ve learned a lot from the research funded by Kansas wheat farmers on the impact of variety selection and management practices on yield and quality come harvest,” Harries said. “Wheat Rx is our outreach effort to share those results with growers. We can’t control the weather, but these practices and tools are ones farmers can use to make an appreciable difference in their wheat crop.” 

Miss the Wheat Rx seminars? Plan to attend the Soil Health and Cropping System Sustainability Field Day in Solomon/Gypsum on April 5 or the Wheat Rx Seminar and Field Day in Phillipsburg on May 23. Learn more at https://kswheat.com/events.

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat