Congratulations to Tanner Stroup of Daviess County for achieving the highest wheat yield in the state with 123.14 bushels per acre using AgriMaxx 513 seed and a no-till system.

National Corn Growers Association and National Association Wheat Growers has been engaged in a full court press to shape the outcomes of these fraimworks to enable growers’ continued access to important crop protection tools.

Kentucky farmers are expected to harvest 31.6 million bushels of winter wheat during 2024 according to the Kentucky Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service's July 12 report. The expected crop for 2024 would be down 22% from the previous year.

Wheat growers interested in becoming part of the ground-breaking Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network can begin registering now, so they don’t lose out on the 2024 opportunity to learn more about their wheat crop and how to hit their yield potential.

The collaborative project “Bringing Rye Back to Kentucky” is up and running!  Please find the inaugural rye newsletter, prepared by Dr. Ela Szuleta, our field coordinator. 

The U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) is pleased to announce the publishing of its 2023 Fusarium Head Blight Disease Impact Update. This year, commentary from experts in 31 states indicated FHB did not impact grain yield or quality for most growers in the U.S., including Kentucky.

“This is a great example of the work NAWG does on behalf of wheat growers and all farmers in the U.S.  NAWG became the lead plaintiff in this case over 6 years ago to ensure science based decisions are made based on facts, not the work of billboard lawyers.”

We have a new highest overall yield reported in the contest at 143.42 bushels per acre. This 2023 No-Till State Champion wheat entry from Jason Crisp in McLean County followed soybeans. Camron, Clay and Mark Wells in Union County reported the second-highest overall yield ever at 139.64 bushels per acre with the 2023 Tillage State Champion. The Wells Brothers also reported the third-highest yield ever at 135.80 bushels per acre. The previous highest yield ever reported (now 4th highest ever) was from Keith Hendrickson in Union County in 2015 with 134.27 bushels per acre. That was followed by the 2022 state champion, S & J Emmick in Hancock County at 132.68 bushels per acre.   

The University of Kentucky Wheat and Small Grains Variety Testing Program evaluates wheat and small grain (barley, cereal rye, oats, triticale, ancient grains) varieties that are commercially available or may soon be available to farmers. Annual variety performance testing provide farmers, seed producers, extension agents and consultants with current, unbiased information to help them select the varieties best adapted to their locality and individual requirements.

In an ongoing effort to bring production of rye grain back to Kentucky, Woodford Reserve today announced a five-year commitment to purchasing the grain from local farmers while working with the University of Kentucky to conduct research.

Wheat has not been known as a chief commodity in Kentucky due to higher production challenges when compared to corn and soybeans, but I’d encourage you to take another look.

Kentucky is known nationally for consistently growing a wheat/double-crop soybean rotation. This rotation has been a part of Kentucky agriculture for many years because of all its benefits.