At the Commodity Classic, WestBred launched their brand new management tool for the US Wheat Producer called Wheat Insight System. The Wheat Insight System aims to help growers improve production and profit potential. At the heart of the Wheat Insight System is what Westbred calls "Optimal Seed rate recommendations." These will help farmers plant the ideal number of seeds per acre. According to John Fietsam with Westbred, many farmers are planting seeds on a pounds per acre basis, but all pounds are not equal.
“WestBred wheat wants to enhance the way wheat seed is planted and sold,” said John Fietsam, Wheat Technical Product Lead for Monsanto. “Today, many wheat growers plant seed by the pound. But that doesn’t mean it’s accurate or what’s best when it comes to maximizing yields in today’s challenging economic environment.”
The Wheat Insight System, available to wheat seed suppliers this spring, calculates how many seeds are in a pound - a number that can vary because of differences in size and density. That information, available for growers for planting this fall, is used to create an Optimal Seeding Rate recommendation that takes into account seed size and density, geography, planting date and production practices.
The system can process a small sample of seeds in about one minute, and the Optimal Seed Rate is provided to the grower in a printout or by email at no cost to the grower. The insights enable the grower to plant wheat based on the exact number of seeds per acre, which is much more precise and potentially more productive.
“Larger seeds mean less seeds in a pound, which can result in underseeding,” said Fietsam. “Consequently, growers aren’t taking full advantage of the land and rely too heavily on tillering for yield potential. Seeding rates that are too low can also delay maturity, increase weed competition and, ultimately, fail to get all the potential out of the crop.
“Small seeds mean more seeds in a pound, which can result in overseeding. With too many plants per square foot, there is competition for nutrients, moisture and light, which can lead to increased lodging and possibly reduced yields.”
Todd Strader, a Colfax, Wash., wheat grower who has been using his own calculations to determine seed counts, saw the WestBred Wheat Insight System operate last fall during a beta testing period with his seed supplier. “I liked it a lot,” said Strader. “I have had to do all the calculations myself, so I was really intrigued when I saw the seed counter and what it does. My seed supplier put the seed in and it did the count in about a minute, and you get that nice printout. It was awesome. It pretty much did exactly what I was looking for.”
Strader said he is a ??irm supporter of planting based on seed count rather than pounds per acre.
“My second year was when I started going by seed counts,” he said. “I’m a believer in a 950,000 seed count number for my farm, and I’ve used that number to plant as heavy as 110 pounds per acre and as light as 84 pounds per acre, based on seed count. You have to get the plant populations right. My stands are great. There’s no going back.”
WestBred wheat, one of the largest wheat seed providers in North America, is committed to supporting its wheat seed partners by providing them with the latest technology and services so they can conduct business effectively and become a more valuable resource for customers.
For more information about the advantages of Optimal Seeding Rates and the Wheat Insight System from WestBred wheat, see your WestBred representative, call (800) 705-2309 or visit http://www.wheatinsightsystem.com.
About WestBred Wheat
WestBred wheat provides seed suppliers and their growers access to the highest yield potential wheat seed, as well as testing, education, resources and experienced representatives to maximize their yield potential.