8 and a higher thousand-gram weight. It was also found that farmers who achieved higher yields tended to split apply their nitrogen compared to farmers with lower yields. Those with a slightly higher N rate were also above average in yield. Weather did not significantly correlate with yield. However, this could be because only one year of data has been acquired. In general, though, water use was higher in the above average plots then below average. Overall, as a pilot, there was very positive feedback from the farmers and agronomists who were involved in the program. Many farmers noted that they were able to learn from specialists and their peers in order to grow a better crop. The program exposed areas that were deficient in their operations and will allow them to manage strategies moving forward. This program has truly put research into action. The 2022 Great Lakes YEN program is now underway with farmers from Ontario and the U.S. who grow wheat, all hoping to learn vital information to increase yields while increasing the sustainability in their operations moving forward. For more information on the Great Lakes YEN program visit https://greatlakesyen.com/. Laura Ferrier is Grain Farmers of Ontario’s agronomist. l COLLECTING WHEAT SAMPLES FOR ANALYSIS. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOANNA FOLLINGS. continued from page 6 This research project received funding from Grain Farmers of Ontario. after edible beans in mid-September. A lower seeding rate was used, and a PGR and two fungicide passes were applied during the growing season. SILVER: Gordon Briggs, Scottville, Michigan Briggs achieved 67 per cent of his potential yield. His field was limited by rainfall. He used higher N rates than average and had higher heads per square meter than many other farmers in the project. Briggs’ operation utilizes conventional tillage, with his wheat being planted after snap beans, at 1.8 million seeds per acre. He utilized split N applications, with fungicides applied throughout the growing season. BRONZE: Adam Pfeffer, St. Thomas, Ontario Pfeffer achieved 66.6 per cent of potential yield. He had slightly higher biomass amounts than the top two contestants in this category. This is another site that was somewhat water limited, but the crop did a nice job in responding to management. Pfeffer’s operation uses minimum tillage, aims for early planting, and utilizes a single nitrogen application. OBSERVATIONS In general terms, there were some similarities in the high yielding crops. The higher yielding crops all had an earlier planting date, with many being seeded before the optimum planting date for their region. As many know, an earlier planting date allows the wheat crop to have good root establishment and tillering before heading into the winter. With respect to the seeding rate, it was shown to not be highly correlated with yield. It is important to note that the high yielding fields were early planted. In Europe, farmers are aiming for lower seeding rates as well. Going forward, adjusting seeding rate based on soil type and productivity is something to consider as more results to support this management are available. When looking at the yield components, the higher yielding fields also saw a higher number of grains per head, heads per metre squared, grains per metre squared,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4