What:

• On Tuesday, May 23rd a few members of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) attended a Wheat Plot Tour where followers of the tour estimated wheat yields.  

 Where:

• The meeting place was Siemer Milling Co in Teutopolis IL. From there, the group visited nine fields across three counties. ISA went on the portion of the tour that focused on three different counties: Jasper, Richland, and Effingham. In total, the tour visited 19 total counties and 57 fields throughout the course of the day.  

 Why:

• Each group was assigned a different role. We were tasked with counting spikelets on 20 heads. We grouped together a large number of heads and then picked 20 at random from the bunch and then counted all the spikelets that were large enough to produce a grain. Those numbers were averaged together and then averaged with other groups in order to obtain the average of spikelets per field. We then recorded those numbers in a chart. Other groups were counting the numbers of tillers with heads within the length of a yard stick. Those numbers were also averaged to get the average number of heads per yard in each field. The averages between the number of heads per yard and the spikelets per head are then multiplied together to estimate the wheat yield.  

• Results: From the fields the ISA team visited the results were as follows:
  • Richland estimated average yield: 106.59 BPA  
  • Jasper estimated average yield: 93.81 BPA 
  • Effingham estimated average yield: 106.02 BPA 

• The Estimated Average yield for all 57 fields:  97.1 BPA  
• The Estimated Weighted Average Yield:  94.8 BPA  

General observations:

• In a few of the fields we were seeing some disease. We observed common rust in one field and leaf blotch in another. We observed some phosphorus deficiencies in multiple fields as well. Not too many insects were detected, a few stink bugs. Most of the field’s stands were very full and lush. In a few of the fields the stand was a little thinner than the rest. Overall, very healthy looking wheat fields.