OSU Panhandle Wheat Tour set for May 22 and 23

Friday, May 12, 2017

Wheat producers attending the Oklahoma State University Panhandle Wheat Tour days will be able to evaluate more than 25 varieties at three local trials and 55 varieties at a semi-irrigated station trial on May 22 and 23.

Tours will be held on May 22 at the Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Goodwell and Boise City, then on May 23 at sites in Hooker and Balko.

The free and open-to-the-public Goodwell field day will begin 10 a.m. followed by a 5 p.m. meeting at the PTCI Room in Boise City. The next day will start at Hooker at 9:30 a.m. at the Herald property northeast of Hooker. The final stop will be the Balko trial site at 1 p.m. The wheat plot is directly south of Balko on Highway 412.

“This is an unmatched opportunity for growers to evaluate wheat varieties in replicated performance trials, compare them to what they have been growing, and get information about wheat varieties they may want to try in the future,” said Tracy Beedy, OSU Cooperative Extension area agronomist.

More than 450,000 acres of wheat were planted in Cimarron, Texas, Beaver and Harper counties in 2016, the majority of which will be harvested as grain as part of dual-purpose graze-and-grain system.

“Given that level of investment, it is important for wheat growers to know about available varieties from both a grain and forage perspective, especially those grown under soil and climatic conditions present in this part of the state,” Beedy said.

Participants will hear from and be able to ask questions of and interact with OSU experts who will provide research-based insights about improved varieties and best management practices relative to getting the most out of one’s wheat crop.

Beedy added participants also will have an opportunity to speak with other producers who may be in situations quite similar to their own, and who may have practical insights of their own to share, neighbor to neighbor.

Field day sessions will be led by experts Misha Manuchehri, OSU Small Grains Weed Scientist; David Marburger, OSU Cooperative Extension small grains specialist; and Bob Hunger, OSU Extension wheat pathologist. The Goodwell event also will feature Brett Carver, OSU Wheat Genetics Chair and leader of the university’s Wheat Improvement Team.

Overall, Oklahoma ranks as the nation’s 4th-leading producer of winter wheat. The top five wheat varieties planted in Oklahoma last year were all developed by the OSU Wheat Improvement Team.

The OSU Cooperative Extension Service brings science-based information about agricultural practices to Oklahoma producers on a county-by-county basis.

The Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center (OPREC) is part of the statewide Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system, the official research arm of DASNR with experiment stations and facilities located across the state to allow scientific studies of crops and other agricultural endeavors to be done under local conditions, thereby providing the most relevant and timely information to producers in those areas.

Anyone seeking additional information about the OSU Panhandle Wheat Tour should contact the OSU Beaver County Extension Office by phone at 580-625-3464.