Wheat growers discuss vast array of topics at regional conference in Ritzville

The American Legion Hall was filled nearly to capacity with wheat producers from the region on Wednesday, January 30, for the Dryland Wheat Growers Conference.

Aaron Esser, Washington State University Agronomist, chaired the five-unit conference with an opening workshop discussing “Increasing Winter Wheat Yield 1 bu/Ac at a Time Through Variety Selection, Nitrogen Management and Weed Control.” Although the hour was filled with information learned from WSU’s variety testing program, he referred those present to wheat performance charts from the university’s website at http://www.smallgrains.wsu/edu.

The second hour presentation came from Dr. Bill Schillinger from the Crops and Soil Sciences group in Lind. He presented information on alternative wheat crops for Washington drylands, wind erosion and water content in stubble. His discussion featured a report on the rotation effects of winter canola, winter triticale and winter peas on Camolina.

Dr. Schillinger’s comments on water content of stubble naturally led into a following demonstration by Stewart Wuest, a United States Department of Agriculture soil scientist from Pendleton, Oregon, who in keeping with his scientific approach, performed fascinating experiments to demonstrate how tillage, no-till, and surface residue influence soil water storage.

Dr. Wuest began by asserting that techniques that lead to more efficient water storage also halt soil erosion. He noted that water storage is affected by three factors: infiltration, run-off and evaporation. He did an experiment to demonstrate that water “clings” to surfaces as it moves through a pipe or across ground, and emphasized that soil cracks and root holes are not important to water infiltration, and that tillage reduces the connection between soil particles.

More residue left on the ground results in more water held in the ground. Water particles are not free to run off and are less likely to evaporate. Dr. Wuest repeatedly emphasized the value of leaving residue to increase water infiltration and storage. The hour-long experiment demonstrated his assertions when over time the soil sample with residue held more water than the sample without residue.

A change of pace followed the first three hours when Randy Fortenbery, a WSU economist from Pullman, took the stage to present “Dimes, Not Dollars, A Look at the 2019 Wheat Marketing Year.” Fortenbery covered an extensive and thorough evaluation of the economic outlook to include the effects of tariffs, wheat production and demand.

After a lunch provided by WSU Extension, the conference sponsor, Aaron Esser returned for a talk on “Straw Removal, Extension Update Plus.” The conference was worth three pesticide credits for those who registered their attendance.