As spring wheat planting season approaches in southwestern North Dakota, third-generation farmer Chris Carlson has been slowly watching as the snow melts outside. Like other growers in the region, he is anxious to get out and start up the planter this spring.
“It’s going to be a while until we plant – there’s still a lot of snow,” said Chris, who farms in Mott, N.D. “But we’re ready to go – it has been a long winter.”
Chris is married to Kendra, and the farming couple has three kids – Connor, Colton, and Kalli. The kids enjoy spring planting, as well, with riding in the tractor at the top of the list.
Last year at this time, Chris had his spring wheat already seeded in March when two blizzards hit a week apart in April.
“I had almost all my wheat in and then the snowstorms came in April. Then we waited another month to get going again,” he said.
This year, the conditions may be much the same, but Chris already has winter wheat in the ground. He seeded WestBred’s Keldin variety of hard red winter wheat last fall. His rotation this spring will include WB9719 and WB9606 spring wheat, canola, sunflower and corn.
Wheat has always been the mainstay on the farm, which thrives in the drier, cooler region. In particular, winter wheat works well for the Carlsons because it is combined early, cutting down on labor and time.
“We’ve always grown wheat. That is just something out here that you have to have,” Chris said. “There is probably never going to be a year where you don’t have some type of rotation of wheat. It’s just impossible.”
Chris’ grandfather started the family farm in the 1920s, and his dad followed in his footsteps. Farming has always been in the family’s blood.
“My dad and my grandpa farmed, and I’ve been farming since 2009,” he said. “I just fell in love with it. I just like watching stuff grow and doing the work.”
Chris is also a certified seedgrower for Austin Kautzman, a Mott farmer and WestBred associate.
For the last couple of years, Chris has seen his wheat yields increase from good varieties and good farming.
“Chris is a really good farmer,” said Peter Comis, WestBred cereal expert, who was out at the Carlson farm in March.
In fact, over the last couple years, Chris has been a winner in the National Wheat Yield Contest (NWYC). In its seventh year, the NWYC is held each year by the National Wheat Foundation Board (NWFB), an organization incorporated in 1977, and dedicated to advancing wheat research, conservation, and finding new uses and markets for wheat.
“Chris Carlson has been a national winner for a couple of years. In 2021, he was second in percentage over county in spring wheat, and in 2022, he was fourth in percentage over county in winter wheat with a hard red winter,” said Anne Osborne, project manager of the NWFB who runs the NWYC.
Source: agupdate.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages - Zoran Zeremski
Categories: North Dakota, Crops, Wheat