Small, incremental changes farmers make at planting can add up to significantly higher wheat yields at harvest, says Phil Needham.
“Things like fine-tuning seeding and nitrogen rates can make significant contributions to crop success,” says Needham, a high-yield wheat expert who works with farmers throughout the United States and Canada.
Establishing a consistent number of wheat heads per square yard is one practice Needham says most U.S. wheat producers would benefit from implementing.
He recommends that farmers aim to establish between 450 and 600 heads of wheat per square yard in their fields.
Farmers whose fields receive timely rains during the growing season need to shoot for the higher end of that spectrum. Growers whose acreage receives little rainfall each season should aim for the lower end of those numbers.
In the following video, Needham provides some additional agronomic recommendations to help you set the pace for a successful 2011 wheat crop.
