Picking Top Wheat Genetics!

Sep 05, 2014

The wheat variety trials, posted at www.gocereals.ca, are the best source of variety performance information. Pay particular attention to the "Managed Performance Trials" - Tables 1a, 2a, etc. These trials show the impact of fungicides on wheat varieties, so you can choose the best genetics based on your management level. There are always some additional questions.

Which winter wheat variety had the best survival?

It doesn't matter! In my 30 year career, the winter of 2014 was the first time ever for those severe winterkill conditions. The probability of a recurrence of this weather in 2015 is very small.

25R46 data is missing in Area 2?

Seed did not arrive in time for planting at Area II sites. Seed needs to be available so that planting can progress. We do not, and should not, hold up planting waiting on seed.

Which variety gives the most straw?

Straw yield data is very hard to come by. Area 5 is the only location taking straw yields. No, not all varieties are at that location.

There is so much information!

Try using the "Head to Head" option on the website. You can pick your top 3 or 4 varieties, and see how they perform over years and areas.

Do I use Area 1, Area 2, or Area 1/2 combined?

While we break the data down, only Area 3 is really different, and in 2014 even Area 3 was not different. Using Area 1/2 combined gives the best indication of variety stability.

2014 data shows big differences to long term data?

Long term data is ALWAYS the best information to pick a winning variety. Use the most data possible with any given variety. In an era of information overload, using this data is the key to growing the best wheat possible, or determining if premiums on any wheat type are high enough to make it worthwhile. Spend a few minutes on the website. It might just make the difference with who has bragging rights at the coffee shop next July!

Source: OMAFRA

Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.