Oat Production in North Dakota

North Dakota is the direct producer of oats for grain in the U.S. However, the area planted for oats has decreased over the past three decades. Oats were cultivated on only 265,000 acres in North Dakota in 2018.

Typically, two-thirds of the oats sowing is harvested for grain, and the rest rises primarily for fodder/fodder. Oats are cultivated in every county in North Dakota, with the largest production area in the southwestern part of the state.

Oats created in North Dakota are generally exclusive, with good test weight and protein levels. Oats can be grown in the human food industry (milling) as animal feed and forage/fodder.

Each market requires different characteristics. Knowing the market and using the right production methods and variety is the key to achieving the quality demanded by these different markets.

Quality requirements for milling Oats

Oats are used in many food products, with a growing demand for speciality foods due to the health benefits of oat bran. The grinding market maintains high-quality standards and selects the following characteristics:

• High test weight (38 pounds/bushel or more)
• Bright colour
• The high part of groat: Groat refers to the kernel after removing the hulls. The percentage of the groat is calculated by dividing the load of the groat by the gravity of the kernel before removal.
• Low oil: Oil increases the caloric value of the product. High oil levels cause caking in the milled product, which causes handling problems.
• High protein: All varieties grown in North Dakota under most production zones meet minimum protein requirements.
• High beta-glucan: Extensive research shows soluble oat fibre containing beta-glucan (β-glucan) in the human diet is effective in lowering serum cholesterol levels, improving HDL ratio (cholesterol good) and LDL (bad cholesterol) and maintaining a balanced glucose metabolism in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Quality Requirements for Food Use

Oats are an excellent feed for sheep, pigs, dairy cattle and beef cattle and horses. Except for the horse market, the specifications of oats used for feed are smaller and strict than those used for milling. Thus, yield becomes a key factor in selecting varieties for this market.

However, the following are the preferred quality characteristics of oats:

• The test weight is high.
• A lot of oil because this gives more energy to the animal
• Lots of protein

Kernel quality characteristics most relevant to the premium horse market include large kernels with bright, white hull colours and very high test weights. All species generally meet protein values, although higher proteins are desirable.

Quality Factors for Fodder Use

Fodder quality is largely determined by its digestibility and crude protein content. Oat varieties may differ for these details.

The total energy is also influenced by yield and growth at harvest. Later-growing species are often grown for forage because they produce more biomass. Because when comparing forage yields, a good rule of thumb is that the grain types will produce the greatest forage yield.

Suitability of Oats in Crop Rotation

Oats can be the best crop to include in the rotation. Oats perform particularly well when planted next to less nutritious crops such as soybeans, dry beans, potatoes, flax and canola. Oats can also be planted after corn because they are less susceptible to Fusarium head blight (scab) than other small grains.

Straw fields are important for establishing no-till winter wheat because they do not have many diseases that affect wheat. Oats can also be planted after barley or wheat with less risk of foliar diseases.

However, small grains in a small grain system can increase the risk of root rot and Fusarium head disease. In addition, the best yield will be obtained when following a hybrid crop.

Choice of Variety

The first thing to Envisage when choosing a type of oat is its intended use. See the latest variety selection guide for information from product tests conducted across the country.

When available, use data from diverse years and locations representing the soil and climate on your farm when selecting varieties. Varieties that perform well in different conditions are more likely to produce fruit than those that perform well in only one year or region. When comparing the yield of small oat varieties with regular hulled varieties, add 35 per cent to the weight of the low hulled varieties because the hulls make up that extra weight.

In addition to products, consider quality characteristics such as test weight, protein, oil and grain colour. If you target a market that will return value to producers for high nutritional value, β-glucan concentration can also be an important feature to consider.

Disease resistance, especially rust resistance, should also be considered. As new pathogens develop in rust populations, genetic resistance in certain races of species may not help confer resistance. Few oat varieties are resistant to common races of crown rust.

When choosing different varieties for fodder/fodder, you can get more information about the performance of a limited number of oat varieties.

We recommend certified seeds when purchasing seeds. Certified seed not only guarantees weed seed contamination levels and germination but also confirms the species' genetic information.

Planting

Date

Sow quickly. Oats respond well to early planting and adapt to cool seeding. Early planting results in higher farm yields and larger panicles and avoids high heat stress later in the season, which can reduce seed size. Planting early can help you avoid late spring diseases.

The best time to plant is before May 15 in the country's northern parts and before the end of April in the southern parts. Research has shown that Who can reduce wild oat density by planting after first emergence and control in fields where wild oats are a problem. However, this method may cause a reduction in yield due to the effect of late planting.

Seed rate

For grain production, the recommended seed rate is 1 million clean seeds per acre (about 60 to 90 pounds/acre). Use a slightly higher rate when seeding deep, late or in rough terrain. Higher seeding rates may provide improved competition with wild oats. However, an excessive number of plants can reduce the weight of the test and protein and increase the accommodation.

The percentage of seed germinating from weak oat varieties can be low because Who can easily damage the embryo during harvesting and processing? When calculating your seed rate for hull-less oats, be sure to adjust for germination. Because of the heavy bush weight of the less hull-less varieties, the recommended seeding rate is 48 to 62 pounds/acre.

When growing oats for forage, use the same seed rate for grain. However, when corn is grown as a companion crop in permanent forage, use two-thirds of the normal seed rate if it germinates quickly and the full seeding rate when later because the planting decreases the late seeds.

Seed depth

Oats can appear with the elongation of the coleoptile and the first internode, which makes the crown closer to the surface of the soil than other small grains up to the level of three leaves. The ideal seeding depth is 1.5 to 2.5 inches. When the seed depth reaches 3 inches,

Fertility Management

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are plant nutrients that are often found to be deficient in this area. The fertilization rate should be based on yield potential, fall soil test and any N expected to be released from the previous crop. N's main advice is:

N commendation (pounds N/ acre) = 1.3 x YP – STN – PCC

YP = yield potential (bushes/acre) based on a historical average from the farm or site

STN = Soil test nitrate-N (pounds N/acre) since the soil surface to a depth of 2 feet

PCC = crop credit (pounds N/acre) from annuals or beet leaves

The choice of N source should be based on cost, convenience, performance, safety and availability. Placement and application timing is also important to achieve maximum effectiveness for each product. If used correctly, any N source's efficiency is no different.

Anhydrous ammonia should be applied at a depth of 4 to 6 inches to minimize gas loss. If it is used during seeding, the distance between the centre of the ammonia group and the seed trench should be 3 inches.

What should apply dry products spread on the ground shortly after their application? Underground N applications are preferred in no-till to avoid the large potential losses of breaking down ammonia from urea.

Fall applications of N are generally as effective as spring applications, except in sandy or flooded soils. Some conditions with exceptionally warm weather may make fall applications less efficient than spring applications.

Why should it not apply fertilizers to frozen soil? Urea-based fertilizers are very soluble, and spring water will remove the fertilizer from the soil surface if the soil is frozen. The amount of fertilizer placed and What should reduce seed. Potassium and phosphorus levels are determined based on field production potential and soil testing standards.

Weed Control

Oats can compete with weeds if properly managed. We should avoid fields with wild oats because no registered herbicide can selectively control the weevil. Many herbicides are registered for use in broadleaf weed control.

Wild oats are successfully controlled by crop rotation, where oat control is possible. High seed rates (greater than 1 million seeds per acre) can help reduce wild oat seed production when planting oats. Who can also use late planting after the first flush when the grain emerges and controlled by pre-plant burning to reduce wild oat competition in fields where the grain is known to be problematic? However, late planting can significantly reduce yields.

Disease Control

Several diseases can affect flour yield and quality. For this publication, only three common diseases affecting yield are discussed in detail. They are crown rust, stem rust and yellow rust of barley. Oats are a host of Fusarium head blight, but reports of it affecting production or quality in North Dakota have been uncommon.

Crown Rust (Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae)

Crown rust is the most common and harmful oat disease in North Dakota.

The crown rust pathogen will not transit other little grains.

Unlike other grain rusts, this pathogen overwinters in North Dakota and can quickly lead to disease. Some sources of spores are carried inland by southerly winds.

• A warm climate (65 to 80 F) and frequent pleat wetness events (dew, fog, and rain) favour disease development.
• The bumps are oval to oblong and contain orange-yellow spores.
• Pustules are found on leaves (very common), stems and glues.
• Eventually, the orange-yellow spores will turn into black spores over the winter.
• Host resistance is the preferred control tool, but the pathogen has many strains that overcome host resistance.
• Fungicides (several labelled chemicals) are an effective control tool and are best used at the leaf growth stage.

Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. avenae)

Stem rust is commonly seen in North Dakota.

• It does not cause rust in wheat or barley.
• It does not settle in North Dakota and relies on southerly airs to blow spores into the wild.
• Warm climate (68 to 80 F) and frequent moisture events (dew, fog, and rain) favour disease development.
• Pustules are irregular and contain dark red-brown spores. A noticeable eruption of the stem is seen with stem pustules. Pustules may also appear on the leaf.
• Management is mainly achieved by using resistant species (very few races).
• Fungicides at the flag leaf method can reduce yield and quality loss if necessary. The same fungicide(s) used for crown tarnish will also work well for stem rust.

Barley Yellow Dwarf (Barley Yellow Dwarf venom and Cereal Yellow Dwarf Virus):

• Many types of cereal aphids transmit it.
• It can cause damage to small grains grown in the field.
• The pattern of symptoms will follow aphid feeding.
• It causes the leaves to turn red and yellow, fade and reduce the kernel set.
• The greatest yield loss occurs when infected aphids arrive early in North Dakota (driven by southerly winds).
• Management options include using less susceptible species and early planting. Spraying insecticides for aphid control has yet to be shown to be an effective control option for barley yellows.

Harvesting and storing Oats for grain

To avoid losses from crushing, oats are often hulled and milled in a mixer with an attachment. Harvesting should begin when kernel moisture is about 35 per cent. This is usually when the panicle has mature yellow or brown, although some stems may still show some green,' and overripe kernels have changed from green to cream.

What should thresh-soaked oats do as soon as they reach the proper moisture level? Oats left too long in the field may not be acceptable for early markets.

Mixing settings should be slower and the sieve wider than that used for other small grains to avoid dislodging the grains. Hull-less oat varieties are prone to kernel damage, so What should reduce cylinder speed to about 900 revolutions per minute to prevent damage?

Oat grains should be dried to at least 14 per cent moisture before storage and 12 per cent moisture for long-term storage.

Growing Oats for Forage

Growing sorghum for forage requires as many management considerations as growing sorghum for grain. Variety selection is one area to consider. Forage grade and yield of oat varieties are evaluated periodically. Forage quality is generally greater from late-maturing species.

Bare oat varieties have also been used frequently for fodder production due to their high forage quality. Their yields may be lower than other low-demand varieties, however. Unfortunately, most oat varieties have yet to be evaluated for forage quality.

The growing season at which Who should harvest hay for fodder varies according to the type of livestock to be fed. Oats should be harvested at the soft dough method when fed to a cow-calf herd to increase dry matter digestibility per acre.

Fibre digestibility and texture are reduced when corn is harvested late, and mature fruits may break during the threshing process. Harvesting in the post-calving period when forage is used in dairy feed is recommended to help meet the higher protein requirements of the dairy cow.

Oats used as forage are usually placed as hay in North Dakota but are sometimes harvested as hay or silage. The growth phase of the forage should be the same as that of the forage.

The main challenge in obtaining good quality forage is controlling the moisture level at the input. Oats in the soft dough stage will have 25 to 35 per cent dry matter, depending on the environment. The ideal humidity for ensiling is 60 to 70 per cent.

However, hay should be 45 to 50 per cent dry for proper drying, so some drying will be necessary. Be careful not to sleep too much at once, or it will be difficult to control the humidity level.

Field pea mixtures are sometimes used to increase forage quality. If peas are included, the amount of seed oats should be reduced by about 20 to 30 per cent to allow some room for the peas. Generally, 40 to 60 pounds of peas are planted per acre.

Pea stands generally produce the same or slightly less yield than oat stands. Including peas increases the crude protein by 1.5 per cent but otherwise does not increase digestion or reduce fibre.