Were Called 3 for sunday! Damage?

[SASKFARMER3]

In our area the damage with a frost on sunday would get the Soy bean field. Durum is desicated for 7 days and some HRS is down same time. Ergot is a huge grading problem again. Huge, a load was rejected and sent home two days ago at local Cargil terminal. Barley will have some damage in area as lots of late fields. Flax Canola that were seeded late are also at risk.
Our late hrs will be a three at best.
Ah the joys of farming.

[$short]

I have heard ergot troubles in some areas. What percent is in the sample.

The little bit we harvested is ergot free thank god.

[TOM4CWB]

Eastern AB has some Ergot.

[bucket]

What chemical reduces or eliminates ergot?

[SASKFARMER3]

It seems closer to the valley and in early wheat. We did 80 acres by the yard for the grain bags and its 7 years wheat on wheat nothing in sample. Lots of wheat to do so we will see.

[SASKFARMER3]

Nothing its naturally occurring along fence lines by the grass around slough etc. Its deadly so not good.

[Braveheart]

Our experience has been that half a pound of copper fertilizer in the blend will reduce or eliminate ergot. Didn't use it this year. Should have.

Back in the 80's pharma companies were paying $2400.00/lb. for pure ergot.

[SASKFARMER3]

Also will the heavy rain yesterday Frick up malt
barley.

[hobbyfrmr]

Braveheart, your advice, "Our experience has been that half a pound of copper fertilizer in the blend will reduce or eliminate ergot. Didn't use it this year. Should have"
is very valuable. I dont think many farmers (myself included) that there is a way to reduce the chance of ergot.

[TOM4CWB]

Braveheart,

Colour sorters cost about 50cents a bushel and they remove all the ergot. Worked very well this year.

Copper does not get rid of it... can reduce it though... it is the length of blooming period...it is grass polen that crosses with the wheat during the blooming period... that causes this problem.

So longer bloom periods make it more suseptable to ergot. Cool weather extends the blooming period... which is bad for midge and ergot damage.

[newguy]

The Weyburn Inland Terminal installed a special cleaner a few years ago to clean it out.

[ado089]

Last year I put some wheat on a pile at nearly .2% ergot, came out of the pile within spec for #2. That tells me a gravity table will clean it up but not remove it all. Also leaving it stand longer will allow them to fall out of the head.

Frost would do a lot of damage even on the stuff thats been sprayed for quite some time.

[highwayman]

Gravity table or really good aspiration on any air and screen/indent machine will do a very good job of cleaning out ergot to where it is a non factor in grading. Ergot kernels are generally very light.

[BTOfarmallll]

Ergot Control - Get off yer Fat Ass and Mow The Grass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[craig]

Gravity tables for ergot are not the way to go. You end up with way too much good wheat still mixed with the ergot. Alberta now has a huge amount of color sorters that work very well on ergot with good through put rates.
Ergot levels in milling wheat need to be extremely low to make grade. At present they are still cleaning ergot out of wheat from last years crop.