State wheat experts to outline best practices for growing wheat in Kansas

By PAT MELGARES
K-State Research and Extension news service

Wheat growers in Kansas, take notice: The doctor is in.

K-State Research and Extension and Kansas Wheat are hosting a pair of meetings in Dodge City (March 7) and Wichita (March 8) to share what those organizations term “a prescription for producing high-yielding and high-quality wheat in a sustainable manner.”

The meetings – called Kansas Wheat Rx – combine suggested management practices for the economical and sustainable production of high-quality winter wheat in Kansas. The information is based on research conducted at Kansas State University and funded – at least in part – by Kansas Wheat, a cooperative agreement between the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

The Dodge City meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Depot Theater, 201 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. The Wichita meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel at the Airport, 2098 Airport Road.

Registration is available free to members of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. The registration fee for non-members is $110, which includes membership to KAWG.

The lineup of wheat experts includes K-State faculty members Romulo Lollato, Carlos Bonini Pires, Kelsey Andersen Onfore, Dorivar Ruiz Diaz, Dan O’Brien and Gregg Ibendahl, as well Carlos Bonini Pires and Logan Simon.

Among numerous topics, they will discuss:

● Cover crops and soil health.
● The benefit of wheat to cropping systems.
● Soil fertility.
● Important wheat diseases and fungicides.
● The economics of wheat production.

The full agenda is available online.

“We cannot change the impact of weather on each year’s crop, but we can arm wheat producers with the knowledge they need to maximize profitability through the genetic potential of new varieties and best management practices,” said Aaron Harries, vice president of research and operations for Kansas Wheat.”

Kansas Wheat has funded much of the research conducted at K-State, “from the importance of variety selection to the practices and tools farmers can use to improve quality,” according to Harries.

Much of the university’s wheat research is available in numerous publications available online. More information is also available at local extension offices in Kansas.