The Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Annual Publication 100-3
July 11
2010-2011 SMALL GRAIN PERFORMANCE TESTS
Edited by J. LaDon Day, Anton E. Coy
and John D. Gassett
The Season
Georgia small grain farmers faced high temperatures and hot and dry low soil
moisture conditions for the small grain forage and grain planting season in the fall of
2010. The unfavorable planting conditions continued unabated until mid-November
when rain set in along with colder temperatures. With the hindrance of wet fields, land
preparation and planting of small grains were delayed in some areas. Georgia wheat
producers seeded 250,000 acres of wheat during the 2010-2011 crop year, a 47%
increase over the previous year. Rye producers seeded 190,000 acres, matching 2010
planting, while oat acreage increased 30% to total 65,000 acres.
Rainfall amounts recorded monthly at the five test locations in Georgia and at
Marianna, Fla. during the 2010-2011 growing season are presented in the following
table. At all locations across the state, rainfall amounts were below normal for the ninemonth reporting period. Rainfall across the Coastal Plain area of the state averaged
41% less (down 12.1 inches) for the growing season. In the Limestone Valley area
around Rome a rain deficit of 8% was much less than the state deficit due to a wet
March and April. Record cold temperatures lingered for much of the growing season
across the state of Georgia.
2010-2011 Rainfall1
Month
Year
Calhoun2
Griffin
Midville
Plains
Tifton
Marianna, FL3
--------------------------------------------- inches --------------------------------------------October
2010
2.34
1.86
0.62
0.97
0.35
0.22
November
2010
4.54
4.60
1.57
2.34
3.53
5.81
December
2010
1.83
1.24
1.31
0.67
1.26
0.62
January
2011
4.40
2.84
3.12
3.70
3.33
4.33
February
2011
3.46
5.05
6.89
4.32
3.29
4.04
March
2011
10.31
6.36
3.91
3.63
2.71
5.00
April
2011
6.91
2.21
1.41
2.01
1.60
0.92
May
2011
1.52
0.84
2.33
0.03
0.01
0.78
June
2011
3.66
3.48
3.43
4.15
3.76
1.24
Total (9 months)
38.97
28.48
24.59
21.82
19.84
22.96
Normal (9 months)
42.30
37.65
31.80
36.22
34.80
38.70
1. Data for Georgia sites collected by Dr. Ian Flitcroft, Griffin Campus, Griffin, Ga.
2. Floyd County location.
3. University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center location.
J. LaDon Day is the program director of statewide variety testing and John D. Gassett is a research professional II in
the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA 30223-1797. Anton E. Coy is a senior
agricultural specialist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Tifton Campus, Tifton, GA 31793-0748.
Georgia farmers seeded more small grain during 2010-2011 than the previous year
due mainly to more favorable sowing conditions. Wheat and oat acres planted
increased by 80,000 and 15,000, respectively. Later planting of wheat was hampered
in some areas due to wet and cold conditions. The weather remained cold throughout
the small grain growing season. A drier spring helped abate small grain diseases,
which required less treatment and increased yields of high quality grain.
A total of 180,000 acres of wheat grain were harvested this year (55,000 acres or
44% more than in 2010) and which produced 9.9 million bushels. Wheat yield for the
2011 Georgia crop was 55 bushels per acre yield, up 38% from last year’s acre yield
(one bushel less than the record 2008 crop). Harvested acres of oats increased during
2011. Thirty thousand acres of rye were harvested for grain, 25% less than last year.
Rye production in Georgia is primarily for forage and/or a cover crop.