From Crookston to Mahnomen, Minnesota, farmers are reporting low falling numbers in the spring wheat. The same thing happened last year. University of Minnesota Extension Small Grains Agronomist Jochum Wiersma was surprised at the reports, because he didn’t think there had been enough rain to cause pre-harvest sprouting. “I looked at the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network records and most of the crop in the central Red River Valley reached physiological maturity around August 1. Since that time, most of the area has received three to five rain events larger than last year.” Wiersma is still a little uncertain why it’s happening and it’s likely still too early to say. “I don’t think there’s any indication that varieties from last year were susceptible to late maturity alpha-amylase. I think that’s still the case, but we had a cold snap in a time where it’s possible to create that.” Hear the full interview.