Wisconsin Ag Connection - National/World News - Rust Killing Washington State Wheat Crops

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Rust Killing Washington State Wheat Crops
USAgNet - 07/06/2010

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire wants the Department of Agriculture to declare 29 counties as farm disaster areas as heavy spring rains have hit wheat farmers hard.

The rain has affected up to 90 percent of the first cutting for wheat farmers while the cool temperatures have also wreaked havoc on fruit trees.

Whitman County wheat farmers are in an all out air battle with rust, a fungus that given the perfect conditions, like our cool wet spring, destroys wheat fields.

"It causes the plant to shut down so farmers can experience 25 to 30 percent crop loss if its not treated," crop duster Ken Meines said.

Meines has been a crop duster for years and he says this year created the perfect environment for the rust infection to take hold.

"Moisture-wise it is good but the rust is giving growers so much grief but if it wasn't for the rust we would be looking at bumper crops," Meines said.

Rust coats the plant and prevents the wheat from getting sunlight. Most wheat crops are genetically engineered to fight off rust but it has to be between 60 to 80 degrees before they can keep the rust off themselves and this spring has been cool.

This year its hitting all the varieties of wheat, spring wheat and winter wheat so day after day Meines sprays crop after crop, hoping his crop dusting efforts will help the wheat fight the infection and protect the crops that have not been infected.