April 1998
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
A soil survey last fall, funded in part by the North Dakota wheat checkoff, indicated higher orange blossom wheat midge populations in northeast ND than the previous year. Particular hot spots were northwestern Nelson and southeastern Ramsey counties, near Wolford in Pierce County and Perth in Towner County, and southwest Bottineau County near Gardena.
However, early planting will benefit midge control: wheat that's planted early can reach the flowering stage before significant levels of the orange blossom wheat midge have emerged. Wheat planted during the last two weeks of May has been infected most by the midge in recent years; it was heading in early to mid July, during the peak midge emergence period. Increased seeding rates and tramlines aid in midge control: less tillering and secondary heading promotes a narrower window for wheat heading and flowering. Tramlines, established at planting, permit easier use of ground application equipment if treatments are necessary later in the season. NDSU will be keeping a close eye on midge development and will alert farmers about where and when wheat will be at greatest risk.
NDSU wheat research faculty expands
Thanks to the crop research initiative approved by the 1997 legislature, NDSU recently hired a second spring wheat breeder and a durum quality specialist, according to the North Dakota Wheat Commission.
Dr. Bill Berzonsky joined the Plant Sciences Department, where he will develop improved varieties of spring wheat, including white wheats, specialty wheats and sawfly resistant wheats. He previously assisted with soft red winter wheat breeding at Ohio State University and Purdue University.
Dr. Frank Manthey is the new head of the durum wheat quality program within the Cereal Science Department. Most recently, he was involved in NDSU plant breeding projects dealing with herbicide resistance and oat quality.
Novartis, NAWG sponsor women's leadership program
Jo Ann Andringa and Michal Sands of Minnesota, and Jan Johnson and Pat Mathias of North Dakota, are among 20 women to participate in the 1998 Women's Leadership Development Program, sponsored by the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation and Novartis.
NDGGA hires new staffers
The ND Grain Growers Association has two new faces on staff. Cindy Nieuwsma and Paul Thomas were both recently hired to help carry out the increasing responsibilities of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association as well as several other accounts, including the ND Pea and Lentil Association and Council and American Renewable Oils.
Nieuwsma began work with the Grain Growers January 5 and is the new office manager. She grew up on a farm near Strasburg, ND, and is a former ND Wheat Commission intern. She will receive a degree in business administration from the University of Mary in May.
Thomas is the new account manager for the Pea & Lentil Association and Council and began work on February 23. From Karlsruhe, ND, he has a degree in ag economics from NDSU.
Support Cyanamid scab research matching grant Northern Plains growers are encouraged to support a scab research matching grant offered by American Cyanamid. Through the Scab Research Matching Grant, Cyanamid will match, dollar for dollar, every "Harvest Point" award credit contributed up to $25,000.
Growers earn Harvest Points award credits through the "Harvest Partners" preferred customer program with qualified purchases of American Cyanamid crop protection products, including Assert, Avenge, and other Cyanamid products, purchased from participating dealers.
These points can then be redeemed for products and services offered exclusively through the Harvest Partners program. Contributions of Harvest Points award credits to scab research will be matched through December 31, 1998 or until the contribution equals $25,000.
The money will be donated by Cyanamid on a quarterly basis to the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the North Dakota Grain Growers Association, who will be responsible for allocating the scab research funds.
Growers can simply indicate the amount to be contributed to scab research on their Redemption Request Forms which are enclosed in Harvest Partners preferred customer program statements.
For more information about the Scab Research Matching Grant or to request a Harvest Partners enrollment form, growers can call the Harvest Partners program service center at 1-800-258-2345 or visit their local Cyanamid dealer for details.
Will El Nino raise yield odds?
No one can predict with certainty how crops will perform in the growing season immediately following an El Nino weather event. However, Iowa State University ag meteorologist Richard Carlson has looked at corn yield data in 12 North Central states (including ND, SD, MN) in growing seasons during El Nino events, going back to the year 1900. Based on those figures, the odds favor a good growing season in 1998, at least for corn if the present system continues.
"Corn yields were favorable with El Nino in all of the states except Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska," says Carlson. "But this is not a black and white situation. All El Ninos are different in intensity and when they start and end. But the odds with an El Nino are fairly decent."
There have been 23 El Nino episodes this century, according to University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley. Including 1972, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1991, 1994, and the latest, which began late last year. Seven of the 10 warmest winters in Minnesota were El Nino years, he says. Prospects tend to favor an earlier spring, and according to Fargo, ND weather data, February-April precipitation immediately after El Nino episodes tended to be below average, but there are exceptions, says Seeley.
He says meteorologists are better able to predict if an El Nino will occur, but still have difficulty predicting frequency and duration.
The 90-day forecast (April-June) for the Northern Plains is normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation. n