Not much wheat is grown in Iowa. It's less than 40,000 acres compared to 14.3 million acres of corn planted for grain in 2007. But record high prices for wheat are prompting some Iowa farmers, especially in the southern half of the state, to consider planting some this fall. Soft red winter wheat is trading above $7 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, a record-high price.

If you are looking for variety information to help decide which variety to plant, Iowa State University has performance and yield data available from its annual 2007 Winter Wheat Trials. Seventeen hard red, four soft red and two hard white wheat varieties were tested by ISU this year.

Wheat variety trial results now available

Results of the 2007 Iowa Crop Performance Test for winter wheat now are available at www.croptesting.iastate.edu/smallgrains/reports/reports.html.

Printed bulletins will be available after Sept. 4 and can be requested by contacting Iowa Crop Improvement Association at (515) 294-6921, or contact any ISU Extension county office. Or you can contact the ISU Extension Distribution Center at www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ or call the center at (515) 294-5247.

The winter wheat test analyzed 17 hard red, four soft red and two hard white varieties planted at Ames, Crawfordsville and Nashua. Average variety yields were 60 bushels per acre and 60 pounds per bushel test weight. No winter triticale varieties were tested this year with only experimental lines grown, therefore no data are being reported.

ICIA's crop testing program is a cooperative effort with Iowa Ag and Home Economics Experiment Station at ISU and ISU Extension. The program offers unbiased, third-party information to farmers regarding commercial seed they can buy. Information on adaptation and performance of hybrids and varieties is offered for alfalfa, barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat.