April 16, 2010

Douglas Anderson, Extension Educator in Keith, Arthur, and Perkins Counties: Wheat is greening up nicely and fertilizer and herbicides are being applied. Stalk chopping is underway. Pastures and alfalfa are greening, but alfalfa needs a bit more moisture before it starts growing. Soil is warming up and growers are in a hurry up and wait mode for planting.

Ron Seymour, Extension Educator in Adams County: The general conditions are typical for mid-April. There have been several days of above normal temperature, with fairly high winds. Rain fell in the area mid week with a return to cooler, closer-to-normal temperatures. A number of fields are ready to plant or waiting for the soil to dry out a bit more. Wheat, alfalfa, and pasture all appear to be in good to excellent condition. The alfalfa is 8 to 10 inches tall. The wheat varies in size but most of the plants are still tillering.

Drew Lyon, Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, Panhandle REC, Scottsbluff: We started seeing a little field activity with the warmer weather last week. Winter wheat is greening up and for the most part, looking good. Some wheat fields were hit hard by high winds last winter and look a little rough. We have very good soil moisture this year and growers are getting ready to plant sugarbeets in the next week. Winter annual weeds in wheat seem to have come on a little later than normal. Blue mustard is just starting to flower, and often we would have seen this a couple weeks earlier. Spraying rigs are heading out and I think we’ll see a fair bit of spraying in the next couple of weeks.

Karen DeBoer, Extension Educator in Kimball, Banner, and Cheyenne counties: Combines are harvesting the proso millet on the ground. In some areas geese came in and cleaned out the windrows this winter.

Mark Hinze, Extension Educator in Hall County: The delayed harvests are done and a lot of field work is underway. Dry fertilizer is being applied. We’re also seeing a lot of winter annuals in the fields.

Michael Rethwisch, Extension Educator in Butler County: Alfalfa and wheat have really taken off with the warmer temperatures and are growing rapidly. Some growers are out in the field disking and shredding stalks. I believe all the corn has been harvested (moistures at 13.5-14% this spring). Given the depth of snow we had up here, growers were surprised by much of the corn’s very good standability. Corn went down in a few areas with heavy clay soils, but generally it was very good. Some of our biggest losses last winter in unharvested fields was to deer.

Jenny Rees, Extension Educator in Clay County: Wheat’s greening up and most producers have gotten their fertilizer on. Winter annuals are present but haven’t started bolting yet. A lot of fertilizer is being applied and we’re seeing some disking and stalk chopping. This week some farmers started planting corn.

Wayne Ohnesorg, Extension Educator in Pierce County: We don’t have any planting yet, but growers are out chopping and baling stalks, disking and doing other field work. The price of baled corn stalks is dropping now as more feed becomes available with the warmer temperatures.

Lowel Sandell, Extension Educator – Weed Science: Last Saturday anhydrous tanks were everywhere. A lot of winter annuals are starting to flower (see the April 9 CropWatch for two stories on treating winter annuals). They do appear to be coming on a little later after the long winter. With warmer temperatures growth will likely catch up quickly.

Teshomme Regassa, Extension Educator – Crop Variety Testing: I’ve seen a lot of anhydrous going down and a couple growers in the area planting. The wheat in our trials looks very good.