Agronomics and marketing of milling oats - · PDF file · 2017-03-16Agronomics and...

02/03/2017

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Agronomics and marketing

of milling oatsLouisa Winkler

Washington State University

Dave Moore

Ponta Ray Ranch

Cascadia Grains Conference

7th Jan. 2017

• Quality specifications

• Management and weather factors influencing crop quality

• Variety choice

• Revenue potential

• Oats in eastern WA

• Seed sourcing

• Questions

Information in this talk is included in upcoming WSU Extension Manual, “Producing milling oats in western Washington: Guide to quality optimization and marketing”.

Today’s talk

Photo: Louisa Winkler

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F.A. Coffman, 1961:

"One of the areas of highest

acre yields in North America

is in the Puget Sound

region, where cool, moist

weather usually prevails."

Threshing oats at Dunlap Farm, circa 1900.Skagit County Historical Museum

Potential for milling oats in WAPotential for milling oats in WA

• Milling oats: food quality• Regional buyer: Grain Millers, Inc. in Eugene, OR (hulled oats)

Look out for a WSU Extension publication,

Producing milling oats in western Washington: Guide to grain quality optimization and marketing

Coming soon!

Picture of hulled and dehulled oats

Potential for milling oats in WA

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• Test weight

• Kernel plumpness, uniformity

• Damage and foreign material

• Hull weathering/brightness

and color

• Moisture content

Quality standards

Photo: Dept. of Agriculture and Food, Govt. of Western Australia

Target Min/Max Spec

Quality

Test weight 40lb/bu 36lb/bu 38lb/bu

Moisture 13% 10-14% 13.50%

Thin kernels (thins) 5% 20% 12%

De-hulled groats 6% 12% 8%

Quality standards - Specifications

Photo: Margolab on Wikimedia Commons Data source: Grain Millers, Inc.

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Target Min/Max Spec

Foreign material (FM)

FM, conventional 1% 3% 2%

FM, organic 2% 5% 3%

Legumes 0% 1% 0.5%

Oil seeds 0% 1% 0.5%

Barley 0% 2% 1%

Wheat 0% 2% 1%

Total other 0% 2% 2%

Wild oats 0% 2.5% 2%

Ergot 0% 0.02% 0.02%



Target Min/Max Spec

Damage

Frost 0% 2% 0%

Sprouted grains 0% 2% 0%

Green seeds 0% 1% 0%

Total of above 0% 3% 2%

Fusarium mycotoxins 0% 1.0ppm 0.1ppm

Heated seed 0% 0.10% 0.10%



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Conventional oats Organic oats

Test weight

Discounts apply 38-

36lb

Discounts apply 38-

36lb

$0.01 per ½lb $0.015 per ½lb

Reject under 36lb Reject under 36lb

Quality standards - Dockage

Photo: Louisa Winkler Data source: Grain Millers, Inc.

• Dockage is assessed on grain exceeding minimum standard but not meeting specification.

• Buyer should provide Discount Schedule to tell you their rules for price reductions.

• For example, Grain Millers discount schedule for test weight:

Understanding thins and test weight


Both thins and test weight are related to single-grain weight.

• Test weight is also related to grain shape: rounder grains pack more tightly.

Genetics and environment.

• Crop nutrition, weather during the growing season influence plant

architecture, grain fill and shape.

Negative impacts on thins and test weight:

• Excessive fertility or warm temperatures → more grain sites per plant →

less photosynthate per grain.

• Plant stress in early summer (nutrient deficit, drought, heat, disease) →

shortened grain fill period or disrupted transfer of assimilates.

• Late seeding → heat stress more likely during anthesis and grain fill.

Waterlogging early in the growing season negatively impacts tillering, but oat plants

are able to compensate later in the season by increasing grain weight.

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Crop management


SEEDING

Date

• Plant early if you can.

Rate

• Best to use plant density (target: 23 live plants per sq.ft.; assume 80%

germination).

• If you can’t, use 60-80lb/a.

• Planting too densely can cause increased plant height and lodging.

Crop management

FEEDING• Rough guide for N: 1.3lb/acre of available soil nitrogen for each bushel/acre of yield

sought (Forsberg and Reeves 1995).

• For 180bu/a (5,760lb/a) grain, aim for 234lb/a of available N (from soil + fertilizer).

• Excess N causes more damage to grain quality at later seeding dates.

• Similar with P (don’t apply extra if soil-available P>50lb/a) and K (not needed if soil

K >250lb/a).

• “Just enough.”

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• Often seen in wWA.

• Neutral to high soil pH.

• Recent liming.

• High soil organic matter.

• High soil iron content .

• Probably not yield limiting.

Crop management

Manganese deficiency (gray speck)

VARIETY CHOICE

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Map by Bouchirron, Wikimedia Commons

Milling oat variety tests

• 2014 and 2015• 30 varieties• 4 locations

• TeVelde’s Farm, Whatcom• Ebey Road Farm, Island• NWREC, Skagit• Kirsop Farms, Thurston


LocationSeason length,

days

Min. air temp,

°F

Average air temp,

°F

Max. air

temp, °F

Precipitation, in.

2014Island 139 34 57 86 5.8

Skagit 143 36 59 86 11.8

Thurston 117 32 59 97 11.4

Whatcom 128 34 59 91 9.4

2015Island 111 37 57 91 1.3

Skagit 122 36 61 91 2.7

Thurston 118 39 63 99 3.7

Whatcom 96 36 63 99 1.3

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LocationYield, lb/a at

14% MCTest weight, lb/bu

at 14% MCThin kernels,

%

2014Island 3,524 42.3 4

Skagit 7,036 42.8 2

Thurston 3,478 39.6 9

Whatcom 6,514 40.8 9

2015Island 1,785 29.9 18

Skagit 3,391 36.3 9

Thurston 2,139 40.5 4

Whatcom 4,787 39.2 7


• 5 of 8 trial locations were organic. Two had high weed pressure.

• Heavy downpours near harvest caused lodging in 2014.

• There was an accidental late herbicide application (2,4D Ester) at one location in 2014.

• And there was an infestation of blackbirds at one location in 2015.

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VarietyMean

yield, lb/a

% test environments

meeting standards

Spec Minimum

AC Morgan 4,617 25 63

Jordan 4,434 0 38

Horsepower 4,333 63 88

Tack 4,152 75 88

Summit 4,022 57 86

Rockford 4,011 75 88

Esker 3,850 57 71

Excel 3,700 57 86

Ogle 3,529 29 43

• How consistently did varieties make milling quality specifications?

Other varieties

Shelby 427 (SDSU)

Hayden (SDSU)

Natty (SDSU)

Goliath (SDSU)

Colt (SDSU)

Betagene (U Wisc)

Badger (U Wisc)

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cv. Horsepower

LocationYield,

bu/a

TW,

lb/bu

Dockage

for TW,

$/bu

Thins,

%

Dockage

for

thins,

$/bu

Total

dockage,

$/bu

Gross

revenue,

$/a

Island C 166.6 44.2 0.00 2 0.00 0.00 $ 602.51

Skagit C 228.1 42.6 0.00 2 0.00 0.00 $ 824.67

Thurston O 102.9 38.2 0.00 16 0.08 0.08 $ 549.67

Whatcom C 216.1 41.6 0.00 7 0.00 0.00 $ 781.33

Revenue estimate

CALCULATION METHOD• Yield, TW and Thins data from field trials. • Price data from Grain Millers (annual average for 2014 and 2015).• Conventional price: $3.62/bu in 2014, $4.03/bu in 2015.• Organic price: $5.42/bu in 2014, $6.05 in 2015.

• Example:

2014 Esker Horsepower Rockford Tack

Island O $459.86 $602.51 $331.92 $493.56

Skagit C $846.31 $824.67 $711.53 $675.18

Thurston O $494.14 $549.67 $595.07 $699.08

Whatcom O - $781.33 $737.53 $745.95

Revenue estimate

2015 Esker Horsepower Rockford Tack

Island O Rejected Rejected Rejected Rejected

Skagit C Rejected $372.28 $394.07 $344.46

Thurston O $481.94 $374.61 $435.92 $503.36

Whatcom O $882.15 $531.62 $1,113.22 $806.41

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Shepherd’s Grain Inland NW Spring Oat Trials 2016

• Can oats make milling quality test weight in eastern Washington/northwest Idaho?• Three varieties; seeding rate; K level

Oats in Eastern Washington

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

05-May 15-May 25-May 04-Jun 14-Jun 24-Jun 04-Jul 14-Jul 24-Jul

Rai

nfa

ll, in

.

Tem

per

atu

re,

°F

Daily average temp. Daily max temp. Daily min temp. Rainfall

Weather

Planting date: 4th May Harvest date: ?Total rainfall during growing season: 29.3in.Temperatures were 52-66°F at the start of heading in June but climbed to almost 90°F by the end of heading in late June.


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Variety test

• AC Morgan, Rockford, Shelby 427

• Seeding rate 60lb/a

• Result: no significant effect of variety on yield or test weight

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Morgan Rockford Shelby

Yield, lb/a

32.0

34.0

36.0

38.0

Morgan Rockford Shelby

Test Weight, lb/bu


K rate test

• 0, 15, 30lb/a K

• Shelby 427

• Results: little effect on yield, but added K decreased test weight (p=0.07).

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

No K 15lb/a K 30lb/a K

Yield, lb/a

34

35

36

37

38

39

No K 15lb/a K 30lb/a K

Test Weight, lb/bu

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Seeding rate and K rate• Shelby 427• Seeding rates of 30, 45, 60lb/a• K rates of 0, 15, 30lb/a• Results:

• Significant linear increase of test weight with seeding rate, but only without added K.

• Similar pattern in yield, though not as strong

Seed Sourcing

• Not a lot of milling oat seed is produced in WA, OR, ID or MT.

• Look for certified seed.

• Good information source: Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association, https://wcia.wisc.edu/ Go to “2017 Certified & Quality Assurance Seed & Forage/Mulch”

• Check other Crop Improvement Associations for Grower Directories, and call the seed companies you see listed.

• Albert Lea Seed House, Albert Lea, MN. Good selection, excellent quality and service. Organic seed available.

• Welter Seed & Honey Co., Onslow, IA. Organic seed available.

• Dakota’s Best Seed, Platte, SD.

• Mustang Seeds, Madison, SD.

Photo: University of Maine Cooperative Extension

https://wcia.wisc.edu/

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• Grain Millers, Inc. 2016. The Growth and Development of Oats: A Guide to Food Grade Oat Production.

• Senova. 2011. Oats: From Breeder to Market. http://www.senova.uk.com/#/publications/4538521681.

• Coming soon (spring 2017): WSU Extension Manual, Producing milling oats in western Washington: Guide to grain quality optimization and marketing.

• Pacific Northwest Insect and Weed Management Handbooks, http://pnwhandbooks. org/

Useful resources

Thank You!Louisa: [email protected]

Dave: [email protected]

Many thanks to my adviser, Dr. Kevin Murphy, and to Steve Lyon of the Northwest Washington Research & Extension Center. This work was funded by the Seed Matters Initiative of the ClifBar Family Foundation.

http://www.senova.uk.com/#/publications/4538521681

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