If you hold a pesticide or applicators license, you’re likely to have heard the phrase “Label is the LAW” or have been reminded at workshops or presentations to always READ the label before buying the…
The 2022-2023 Research Progress Reports and the 2022 WSU Weed Control Report are now available on the Wheat and Small Grains website.
Dr. Xianming Chen, USDA-ARS plant pathologist, is predicting stripe rust severity to be in the lower range of a moderate epidemic in his first forecast for the 2023 growing season released January 10. These predictions…
Planning for the 2023 small grains crop is set to begin. In anticipation of the next season here is an overview of what small grains problems that were diagnosed by the WSU Plant Pest Diagnostic.
During the summer of 2020, WSU Field Days went virtual due to the pandemic. Despite having in person field days the past two years, the Variety Testing Program, with assistance from the WSU division of…
The days of worrying about insects such as Aphids, Hessian fly, or Wireworms damaging the wheat crop will likely be an afterthought until next spring now that the wheat harvest is mostly if not all…
Oregon Weed Science Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to promoting weed science scholarship, education, and knowledge dissemination. Our primary goal is to organize an annual meeting for growers, agronomists, and…
Growers who are considering alternatives to fallow, such as legumes or forage crops, can use a new profitability tool to understand the impact on their bottom line, including impacts to the profitability of their main…
With harvest in full swing across much of eastern Washington, producers are hopeful for bountiful yields and a fair market price for their efforts. Unfortunately, things can quickly “go up in smoke” especially if there is a combine or equipment fire.
What happened? Wheat fields throughout Eastern Washington are full of downy brome (a.k.a cheatgrass). Many of those that aren’t, are full of Italian ryegrass. Why didn’t herbicides perform better than they did this year?
Farmers have been planting winter peas in the Inland Pacific Northwest since the 1930’s. While the practice may not be new to dryland farmers, our growing understanding of how incorporating winter pea…
Wheat harvest is underway in Eastern Washington. With cool spring weather and ample spring rainfall, it looks like it will be a bountiful harvest. Understandably, growers will be focused on getting their grain out of…
Summer fallow is a common strategy for producing winter wheat in the drier regions of the inland Pacific Northwest. Farmers have historically used summer fallow every third year in the intermediate rainfall zone of the…
Dr. Xianming Chen (ARS Plant Pathologist) released an updated stripe rust forecast Thursday, June 2, 2022 focusing on Whitman County, WA and Latah County, ID. In contrast to previous reports, stripe rust was common on…
The first and most important step in any pest management program is to make sure the pest in question has been correctly identified. Failing to miss this step can cost both time and money and…
Dr. Xianming Chen (ARS Plant Pathologist) released an updated stripe rust forecast last Monday, April 18, 2022. Consistent with his last update from early March, no stripe rust was found on wheat in their survey…
Spring crops are quickly going into the ground and herbicide applications are being applied to winter wheat, and a lot of difficult decisions are being made during this unprecedented time. Unprecedented times included input scarcity…
The 2022 crop tour season will soon be starting and provides opportunities to view field trials and interact with Washington State University personnel. The list below provides an outline of when each small grain variety…
The Pullman-based Plant Pest Diagnostic Clinic has reopened! In June Cassandra Bates joined the WSU Plant Pathology Department as the diagnostician and manager of the Plant Pest Diagnostic Clinic. Cassandra received her Master of Science in…
Dr. Xianming Chen’s (ARS Plant Pathologist) March 7, 2022 stripe rust update says that stripe rust will be in the moderate range for the 2022 growing season. His predicted yield loss of 20-40% is based…
The Washington Grain Commission held its 2022 Wheat and Barley Research Review on February 15th in Pullman. This annual review provides growers and other industry members the opportunity to see results from research the Commission funded the…
With record high fertilizer prices, it is more important than ever to efficiently use our fertilizer resources. The WSU Small Grains website has a number of useful tools and calculators for assisting in developing nitrogen…
Are you a dryland producer impacted by the 2021 drought? The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) needs your help! We humbly request your participation in a survey of soil management practices, and how those practices…
In the 1990s, when I was beginning my academic career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Monsanto still held the patent for glyphosate, and it could only be purchased…
Soil health is often defined as the ability of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem. When the underlying functionality of soil is supported within the agroecosystem it often results in many benefits on…
