Wheat Delegate to Be Elected

During this year’s Wheat Show wheat growers of Williams County will gather to elect a county representative to the North Dakota Wheat Commission. This election is scheduled to take place Tuesday, February 5, 3:45 at the Airport International Inn. County representatives from Burke, Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail, Renville, Ward and Williams counties will meet at a later date to select a wheat grower to represent this area on the seven-member board of the North Dakota Wheat Commission.

Dustin Johnsrud, Epping, is the wheat grower currently representing Williams. This year’s elections conducted in the seven counties of northwest North Dakota have significant importance because Lois Kuster of Mountrail County is completing his third term on the state board. He is no longer eligible to serve.

The seven commissioner governing board meets regularly to set policy and plan programs designed to expand worldwide use of U.S. hard red spring wheat and durum through expert market development, domestic promotion, research, trade and public information initiatives.

Any farmer who is a resident of Williams County and is actively involved in the production of wheat is eligible to vote and be elected. A wheat farmer must be present to vote but need not be present to be elected.

The election process is also an opportunity to share any concerns which should be passed to the state’s wheat commission.

Wheat Midge Potential Low

According to Janet Knodel, Entomologist at North Dakota State University, the potential for wheat midge infestations during 2013 crop season is low. She basis her prediction on the analysis of 199 soil samples which were collected last fall from 21 counties of the state’s northern and north central tier.

Wheat midge population ranged from zero to 786 midge larvae per square meter, with an average of 34 larvae per square meter. In contrast, wheat midge populations ranged from zero to 1,879 midge larvae per square meter, with an average of 171 larvae per square meter on samples collected in the fall of 2011.

My involvement in last fall’s survey included the collection of soil samples from seven designated locations in the eastern two-thirds of Williams County. Five of the samples revealed zero midge populations while two sites had populations of 35 and 214 midge per square meter, representing a low count and low risk for next year.

Even though the risk for 2013 is low, Knodelstill recommends field scouting, especially if weather conditions favor wheat midge emergence and development. Weather conditions which favor midge development and outbreaks include high soil moisture in late June, warm temperatures, calm winds and high humidity during egg laying in early July. The folks at North Dakota State University have developed a degree day model which is a good predictor of wheat midge emergence and helpful when field scouting. This model is part of the North Dakota Agriculture Weather Network (NDAWN). A link to it can be found on our webpage: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/williamscountyextension.

With the high market value of both spring wheat and durum, the economic threshold for an insecticidal application is one midge per seven to eight heads, according to Knodel. The critical time to spray is from late heading to early flowering.