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MSU’s tips for clean wheat harvest

Michigan State University Extension is advising growers to be mindful of practices that lead to high quality food-grade wheat at harvest.

Wheat specialist Dennis Pennington says a large portion of wheat in the state is directly ground into flour for food products and requires special attention.

“We all want to provide a wholesome, clean, food product and one of the things we are hearing is they absolutely do not want to buy product that had glyphosate applied to it,” he says.

While applying glyphosate to desiccate wheat for uniform dry down might be a practice in other regions, Pennington says Michigan millers do not want that wheat.

“Do not desiccate if at all possible, make that a last resort,” he says.

Pennington says the amount farmers are docked at elevators has also seemed to increase in recent years as millers have to further clean wheat.

“Including hulls in the grain, unhusked kernels where the hull is still wrapped around and attached to the grain, green kernels, and then we’re also getting some weed seeds in there,” he explains.

He recommends farmers time harvest for optimal quality, calibrate combines, and clean equipment all the way through the harvest process to prevent cross contamination of other gluten-free food crops.

Pennington spoke on how farmers can best prepare for harvest during the Michigan Wheat Program’s recent virtual field day.