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Wheat winterkill a concern, but too soon to say how much

A Kansas State University Extension agronomist says there are reasons to be concerned about wheat winterkill after sub-zero temperatures settled into the Southern Plains earlier this week.

“We’ve got a few conditions that I think bring us a little more concern than normal, “says Lucas Haag, who is based at Colby in northwest Kansas. “We were fairly wet towards the latter part of September, so the crop went in late, which didn’t give us a lot of time to really get good crown establishment and much fall growth. So that kind of adds to our concern a little bit.”

Haag says a lack of snow cover and dry topsoil conditions didn’t help either. But he says the extent of the damage won’t be known until the crop starts greening up in the spring.

“I think there are reasons to be concerned,” he says. “But I don’t think we’re anywhere near writing off the crop yet.”

Haag says the temperature in Colby dropped to five below zero Monday morning.

AUDIO: Lucas Haag