The Last Best Winter Wheat Harvest Has Begun
While we live in the “Last Best Place”, is it possible that when it comes to harvesting the worst gets cut first?
July 27, 2023
Menu
While we live in the “Last Best Place”, is it possible that when it comes to harvesting the worst gets cut first?
State-sponsored data collection via surveys is the most vital effort for the small grain industry in the Treasure State.
Wheat prices have remained volatile, with the bear news of the 2023 USDA acreage and stocks report. Rain fell on the corn belt, and wheat prices dropped 50-97 cents last week.
So much of the wheat and barley industry in Montana is made up of long days on machinery, agronomics, and shipping. The social aspects of wheat and barley production can be grueling on one’s mental health due to isolation, harsh working conditions, and financial uncertainty.
The wheat stem sawfly lays larvae in the stem of grasses. Loss is seen by overall yield and damage to the stem in the early stages of the development but also the iconic tipping over of stems falling on the ground.
The Farm Fair is to provide a rural ranch atmosphere where students and teachers learn about agriculture in Montana.
Attendees learn about the food supply chain, see first hand how food is prepared for human consumption, and demonstrate the agricultural communities commitment to protecting our natural resources.
For the last few years, virtual trade team events increased significantly. The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) staff found adapting to the virtual setting a critical direction for market development
Montana certainly ships durum and spring wheat to Duluth for export. Higher crop volumes in 2019 and 2020 warranted more grain headed east. Mainly durum, European purchases can frequently be the destination.
Despite the snow and cold in the Treasure State, wheat breeding programs at Montana State University (MSU) remain hard at work. I was able to join Dr. Jason Cook in Yuma Arizona to see the importance of double cropping in plant breeding and foundation seed.
Montana’s bears are waking up from hibernation and the bulls are relishing a job well done as calving is in full swing. This year the bears and bulls joined hands in the head-scratching 2023 USDA prospective planting report. Not much change in the planting front for the treasure state.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3024
300 Park Dr. S., Suite 104
Great Falls, MT 59403-3024
Phone: (406) 761-7732
Fax: (406) 761-7851
Email: wbc@mt.gov
The Montana Wheat & Barley Committee promotes local research and develops trade markets around the world.