There are four OSU wheat plot tours planned for this week across north central Oklahoma. First up- Oklahoma Wheat Commission board member Don Schieber will host his annual wheat tour breakfast meeting- Don writes on Facebook “Monday, May 13, is the date for the Kildare field day at Don Schieber Farm beginning with breakfast at 8am. We will have Dr Brett Carver and members of the OSU Wheat Breeding Team discussing the 25 varieties in the plot. Also here to talk about Cowboy sports will be Dave Hunziker, Coach Barry Hinson and Robert Allen who will broadcast his radio show from here starting at 10am. The First Cowboy, Darren Schrum is scheduled also. Breakfast is by DeWayne’s and is always good and sponsored by Farmers Co-op Assn. Helena Chemical and OGI are sponsoring speakers.”
On Thursday, there are two wheat tour stops in Blaine County- the Greenfield event will start with lunch at Wheeler Brothers at 11:30 AM followed by the plot tour. The Homestead tour is a twilight gathering with dinner followed by the plot tour. You can contact Extension Educator James Syzemore at 1-580-623-5195 for more information on these demo plots.
Friday is the annual Lahoma Wheat Field Day. According to OSU Extension
- 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at North Central Research Station (1 mile west of Lahoma on Highway 60) near Lahoma. Register by May 12 to be entered into a prize drawing.
- Topics will include wheat varieties, breeding, fertility, disease and pest and weed management. Continuing education units have been applied for, and lunch will be provided.
While there are challenges that remain before the combines roll in 2024 in Oklahoma- the May USDA Crop production Report released this past Friday expects a larger crop than either of the last two years. In both 2022 and 2023- Oklahoma’s wheat crop was a disappointing 68 million bushel crop. The May estimate by USDA calls for a 96 million bushel crop- up 40% than those last two years.
Meanwhile in Kansas– the 2024 Wheat Quality Council is set for May 13th through the 17th- starting and ending in Manhattan. During the three days of wheat scouting, tour participants will travel six routes from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. Last year’s tour hosted 106 people from 22 U.S. states plus Mexico, Canada and Colombia, in 27 vehicles while traveling across the state.
The 2024 wheat crop in Kansas is expected to be significantly better than what was produced in 2023- USDA predicts a 267.9 million bushel wheat crop this year versus the actual 201 million bushel crop of last year. If realized, the 2024 crop will be 33% better than last year.
The PDF below shows the schedule for 2024- it’s on the second page of this document:
