Columbus, Ohio
October 22, 2007
Wheat planting in Ohio is
anticipated to hit a million acres or more this year, thanks to
historically high futures market prices and continued production
efforts to keep wheat in the crop rotation.
“The reason why acreage is up this year is because of the good
prices and the need to maintain crop rotations,” said Jim
Beuerlein, an Ohio State University
Extension agronomist. “Wheat is in such high demand that growers
are having a hard time finding seed.”
The futures price of wheat is around $6.75 a bushel, nearly $3
more than the historic average, stimulated by low wheat
inventories due to poor worldwide production of the 2007 crop.
In Ohio, growers harvested 730 million acres of wheat out of 820
million acres planted, with an average statewide yield of 63
bushels per acre. Growers harvested 68 bushels per acre in 2006.
The increased planting prospects come on the heels of an
optimistic crop for 2008. Timely planting and continued
unseasonably warm weather are giving the new wheat crop a strong
performance boost that should produce a very hardy condition
going into winter dormancy.
“The wheat crop right now is looking fantastic. Because of the
warm weather we’ve been having, it’s growing very rapidly,” said
Beuerlein, who also holds an Ohio Agricultural Research and
Development Center appointment. “It should produce adequate
tillers before dormancy.”
According to the Ohio Agricultural Statistics Service, 78
percent of Ohio’s wheat is planted, 36 percent ahead of last
year and 18 percent ahead of the five-year average. Over 30
percent of the crop has already emerged, 23 percent ahead of
last year and 13 percent ahead of the five-year average.
Beuerlein said that growers could run into problems if the wheat
grows too large (over a foot in height) before going into
dormancy. Ohio is already a week late with its first frost. But
problems are unlikely, he said.
“We really don’t see any issues with the rapid growth of the
crop. If growers are planting wheat in 15-inch rows then they
don’t even need to worry about crop size,” said Beuerlein.
For more information on Ohio’s wheat crop, log on to the OSU
Extension Agronomic Crops Team Web site at
http://agrcrops.osu.edu.
Ohio wheat growers produce some of the highest quality soft red
winter wheat sought after by millers and bakers in the nation.
Ohio ranks fifth overall among all winter wheat-producing
states, bringing in more than $215 million to the state’s
agricultural industry, according to the
Ohio Department of
Agriculture.
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