Farm Director KC Sheperd recently spoke with Lance Embree, the sales account manager for WestBred in Oklahoma and Texas, following a comprehensive crop tour of the region. The tour, which included Mark Lubbers, WestBred’s technical product manager, covered most of southern Oklahoma and the majority of Texas north of I-10, providing a snapshot of the current winter wheat conditions.
“Really, very typical type year where, depending on where you are, there’s a lot of differences,” Embree noted, emphasizing the variability across the large geographical area. He broke down the observations geographically, starting with the central I-35 corridor in Oklahoma and Texas. “We were actually starting to get dry but caught a rain at the right time – may have been just a little bit late, but better late than never.”
However, conditions worsened moving westward. “As we moved west, particularly into West Texas, south of Abilene and down through San Angelo, it was really, really drought-stressed,” Embree explained. He described the situation as dire, stating that “a lot of that wheat is beyond recovery, even with the rain, at this point. So a lot of guys had turned cattle out just to try to pick up some forage to get what they can.”
North of Abilene, the situation improved somewhat, but droughty conditions persisted until reaching the Amarillo area. “Then, around Amarillo and Amarillo north, we’re in pretty good shape,” Embree reported. He added some positive news: “So most all those areas have gotten some rain since I’ve been there, which is definitely going to help. But like I said, there were some areas that were just too far gone, even for the rain to help.”
Interestingly, dry conditions limit disease pressure. “One thing by being so dry, hardly seen any disease,” Embree stated. He mentioned a small amount of stripe rust in the Bardwell and McGregor, Texas areas, but it was “only on some of the most susceptible lines.” A few viruses were observed in West Texas, but overall, “from a disease perspective, everything seems pretty light at this time.” Looking at the central corridor, Emrbee offered an optimistic outlook: “Down through that central corridor of Texas in Oklahoma, we’re still setting in what I would consider a really good opportunity for a good-yielding crop.”
The diverse conditions highlighted the critical role of selecting the right wheat variety. “Varieties really do come into play, don’t they?” Sheperd asked. Embree affirmed this, saying, “They certainly do. I mean, if you look across that big geography, I mean, even a few miles can make a big difference in variety selection.”
Embree detailed specific considerations for different regions. In Oklahoma, low pH tolerance is crucial, along with varieties suitable for early forage and herbicide tolerance. He highlighted WB4401 and WB4422 as strong, non-herbicide tolerant options. Moving south into Texas, standability and disease resistance become more important due to different climate patterns. West Texas focuses more on fall forage, grazing, and on-list varieties, with a new Hessian fly-resistant on-list line, WB4440, being a key development. For the northern areas, on-list varieties like WB4511 and the upcoming WB4650 are popular. Embree also emphasized WestBred’s advancements in herbicide-tolerant varieties, including the new Clearfield line WB4445, known for its low pH tolerance, fall grazing potential, excellent yield, and exceptional drought tolerance, and the upcoming CoAxium line WB4459 AX.
Looking ahead, Embree advised producers to focus on what they can control. “Right now, a lot of things are out of their hands. We’re highly dependent upon the environment to finish this out, but if we think about those things they can control, let’s not lose this crop at the end due to insects.” He recommended monitoring for aphids and winter grain mites, as well as keeping an eye on disease. For Oklahoma, with wheat reaching flag leaf emergence, Embree suggested considering a foliar fungicide application, even in the absence of significant disease, for potential crop health benefits. “If I’m looking at a really good wheat crop, you know that 50-60 bushel range on up, I’m going to highly consider applying foliar fungicide here at full flag leaf emergence.”
Embree underscored the importance of producers consulting with WestBred representatives to choose the optimal varieties for their specific needs. “One, there is just an enormous amount of varieties to choose from,” he explained. He emphasized that varieties are often released for targeted areas based on their agronomic traits, such as low pH tolerance or drought resistance. With the variability in soil and weather across Oklahoma and Texas, personalized advice is crucial. “The good thing for those guys is they have a lot of resources out there, from people in the wheat industry to reach out to talk to your university people, crop consultants, people at your retail locations that are highly involved in the agronomic issues in those areas, and what they might be looking for.” He also highlighted the extensive testing and trials conducted to ensure a reliable variety of recommendations.
Producers interested in learning more about WestBred varieties can visit their website at Westbred.com. On the website, producers can select their region (Southern for Oklahoma and Texas) to find contact information for Lance Embree and Mark Lubbers, as well as research-specific varieties. “By all means, I’m certainly willing to talk with guys and provide them with any information I can,” Embree concluded.
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