With many producers still making their final decisions regarding getting their winter wheat in the ground, WestBred Technical Product Manager John Fenderson has a few tips that could potentially help growers maximize their yields and profits. Associate Farm Director Carson Horn spoke with Fenderson this week to get his advice for farmers in the Southern Plains as they prepare to put seed in the ground.
“I’ve always been of the thinking you need to grow a crop for success,” Fenderson said, “you don’t want to put a crop in the ground and expect a failure.
“Some of the things I think that are very important for growers in the environment that we’re in today, first and foremost, get out and pull a good soil sample in your fields. Fertility is your biggest variable cost. Understand what you need to put on that particular field in order to be successful.”
According to Fenderson it is not a year to build fertility in your fields but rather a year to ‘put’ fertility in the ground in order to raise a decent crop. Fenderson also suggests growers consider delaying sowing until soil temperatures have cooled down. He recommends waiting at least until October 15th.
“We tend to get away from some of the stresses we see early in the season,” Fenderson said citing pests like Hessian flies as well as the benefits of more uniformity in emergents.
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