Illinois Wheat Association hosting field tours

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Illinois Wheat Association is inviting farmers and researchers to tour wheat fields and take estimate yields of the winter wheat crop during its annual Wheat Plot Tour on May 21 at the Southern Illinois University Belleville Research Center.

The tour will include field checks during the day with a late afternoon reporting session at the SIU Belleville Research Center, 2036 Charles Lane, Belleville.

Tour participants will have an opportunity to view wheat variety and seed treatment trials at the Belleville Center, as well as listen to scouting results and the wheat yield estimates.

Four tour groups will set out at 9 a.m. on May 21 to visit various wheat fields and gather yield estimates throughout southern Illinois. Groups will stop twice per county to take estimates.

Those interested in participating are asked to call one of the four following crop scouting group leaders in advance to confirm involvement and meeting location the day of the tour:

• Siemer Milling Company, 111 W. Main St., Teutopolis. Tour leader Brian Semple will take groups through Effingham, Shelby, Fayette, Jasper, Clay, Coles and Richland counties. Call 217-857-3131 or email bsemple@siemermilling.com to register for this tour.

• Mennel Milling Company of Illinois, 415 E. Main St., Mt. Olive. Tour leader Mark Miller will take groups through Macoupin, Montgomery, Madison and Bond counties. Call 217-999-2161 or email mmiller@mennel.com to register for this tour.

• AgriMAXX Wheat Seed Company, 7167 Highbanks Road, Mascoutah. Tour leader Matt Wehmeyer will take groups through St. Clair, Randolph, Washington, Marion and Perry counties. Call 855-629-9432, or email matt@agrimaxxwheat.com to register for this tour.

• Wabash Valley FS Services Co., 10931 Coal Mine Road, McLeansboro. Tour leader Aaron Hunsinger will take groups through White, Hamilton, Gallatin and Wayne counties. Call 618-384-0243, or email aaron.hunsinger@basf.com to register for this tour.

Those wishing to take samples on their own and join the groups at the Belleville Research Center at 4 p.m. should contact the IWA for yield measurement instructions to ensure sampling procedures are consistent.

The event will conclude with a tour of the SIU research plots by Jessica Rutkoski, assistant professor of small grains breeding with University of Illinois, presentations from morning tour leaders discussing their findings and a group dinner.

Guest speaker Briana Whitaker with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also discuss her research on deoxynivalenol, or DON, and mycotoxin.

Participants are asked to RSVP for the tour and group dinner by May 14. For more information or to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/yp3ht38k.