In this session, we will learn about the Common Grain Alliance and learn about how grains are grown and harvested. We will then take a virtual tour of Ardent Mills in Culpeper, Virginia to learn how grain is milled into flour. Finally, we will learn how Great Day Gardens makes scones with 100% locally-grown grains.

This quick guide is a tool to help Unit Coordinators navigate the process of onboarding a new agent in their local office. This resource clarifies the key responsibilities & roles a Unit Coordinator plays in the onboarding process, as well as tips for a successful experience when welcoming a new agent to the local unit office.

The more than 55 million people who live in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States want to purchase processed grain foods such as bread and other dough products made from hard, or bread, wheat. To meet this demand, regional mills import bread wheat, which comes almost exclusively from the Plains states. These imports make up approximately 30 percent of the total grain needed for the region.

Efficient nitrogen (N) fertilization is crucial for economic wheat production and protection of ground and surface waters. Excessive plant-available N produces wheat plants that are susceptible to lodging and disease with resulting decreased yields and increased input costs. The potential for enrichment of ground and surface waters with nitrates also increases with excessive N fertilizer applications.

Corn must have adequate amounts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for profitable production. Nitrogen and phosphorus are also the nutrients that produce excessive algae growth in surface waters when concentrations increase above certain critical levels. Profitable and environmentally sensitive corn production requires that N and P be managed in an efficient manner. Economic returns from the use of these nutrients can be maximized, while the potential for surface and groundwater enrichment with N and P can be minimized with the use of appropriate technology. Available technology includes soil testing to evaluate residual soil nutrient supplies, and the use of proper application rates, methods, and timings.

No-tillage corn production has been practiced in Virginia for more than 35 years (Jones et al. 1968), yet many producers have not used no-tillage to its maximum advantage. This publication addresses where no-tillage corn can and should be adopted, and where no-tillage production needs to be modified to reduce production problems associated with continuous use.

There are many, many factors that could cause either of these statements to be true: year-to-year weather variation, yield potential differences in and between fields, planting date differences, etc. (first published March 2019, last reviewed March 2024)

Soil compaction is a manageable factor that can limit grain or silage yield on many Virginia soils.

Germination of wheat within the grain head before harvest is called pre-harvest sprouting (PHS). Periods of prolonged rainfall and high humidity after the grain has ripened and before it can be harvested can contribute to PHS, which can be thought of as a premature germination.

Modern winter barley cultivars are capable of yields in excess of 170 bu/acre with relatively high test weight. Efficient nitrogen (N) fertilization is crucial for economic barley production and protection of ground and surface waters.

Four species of aphids attack small grains in Virginia - greenbug, corn leaf aphid, bird cherry-oat aphid, and English grain aphid.

The adult is relatively large compared to other spider mites and is the only mite of economic importance with the anal pore (a tan to orange spot best seen with microscope, but can be seen with a hand lens) on the upper surface of the abdomen.

Cereal leaf beetle, a native to Europe and Asia, was first detected in Michigan in 1962. Since that time it has spread throughout most of the mid-western and eastern United States and has become a significant pest of Virginia and North Carolina small grains. This insect can become very numerous in small grain fields and the larvae are capable of reducing grain yield by eating the green leaf tissue.

Common smut of corn is caused by the fungus Ustilago maydis. The fungus causes gall formation on all aboveground parts of corn plant

Grain and soybean production is a critical component of Virginia agriculture — the state’s No. 1 industry (VDACS 2013). Virginia’s farmers produced more than half a billion bushels of grain and soybeans over the span of 2006 to 2012 (USDA-NASS 2013b)1. The objectives of this publication are to characterize the market for grain production and storage in Virginia.

Remove the soybean plant at ground level to make it easier to stage. Examine each main stem node one at a time to determine the development stage. Focus on the top four nodes that contain fully developed leaves (shown below). A fully developed leaf is one that is located immediately below a node containing a leaf with unrolled or unfolded leaflets (leaflet edges are no longer touching). The soybean crop is considered to be at a particular stage when 50% of the plants reach that stage. Listed with stage description for R1 through R6 are the approximate number of days to R7, or physiological maturity, for full season (FS) soybean planted in May and double crop (DC) soybean planted in June/July.

The general purpose of a cover crop is to improve the soil, the broader environment, or other crops in rotation, not for direct harvest. Cover crops, depending on which are selected, are capable of providing many diverse assets. This publication provides a short description of these main benefits.

Cover crops increase soil organic matter, reduce erosion, suppress weeds, forage for nutrients, and reduce fertilizer costs (Clark, 2007). Cover crop species vary greatly and provide varied benefits. Performance evaluation of cover crop species and mixtures is needed in Virginia.

Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, and Virginia, the five states in the Mid-Atlantic region, all require Certified Nutrient Management Plans to be completed for certain agricultural programs.

The mature and dried stem, leaves, and chaff remaining after barley and wheat are harvested is known as straw. Many farmers around Virginia harvest straw by baling in small bales, large round bales, or large square bales that range in weight from 40 to 1,000 lbs. plus per bale.

A forage production trial of commercial barley, oats, rye, triticale, and wheat cultivars has been conducted yearly from 1994-2015 at the Northern Piedmont AREC, Orange. Results from the 2014-15 crop season are presented in this report.

The annual summary of corn silage hybrids testing in Virginia.

This is the thirtieth year of this ongoing annual project. Further work is planned for the upcoming 2023-2024 growing season. The demonstration and research plot results discussed in this publication are a cooperative effort by eight Virginia Cooperative Extension ANR agents, one retired agent, and the EVAREC superintendent. We are proud to present this year’s on-farm small grain plot work to you. We hope the information in this publication will help farmers produce a profitable crop in 2024.

These demonstration and research results are a collaborative effort of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Agents and Specialists, Virginia producers, and agribusiness. The purpose of this publication is to provide research-based information to aid in the decision-making process for soybean producers in Virginia. It provides an unbiased evaluation of varieties, management practices, and new technologies through on-farm replicated research using producer equipment and time. These experiments enable producers to make better management decisions based on research and provide greater opportunities to improve yields and profits, which improves quality of life for them and their families.

An overview of how to use aerial spectral imagery to determine wheat fertility rate and timing.

The On-Farm Variety and Research Publications are a collaboration between county agents, producers, crop specialists, and agribusinesses to provide research-based information on not only variety selection, but other management practices such as new cultivation, fertilization, planting, and harvesting practices of small grain. It is the intent of all the cooperators involved to provide an unbiased publication that provides assistance in variety selection as well as information related to other current small grain topics. This is the thirty-first year of this ongoing annual project. Further work is planned for the upcoming 2024-2025 growing season. The demonstration and research plot results discussed in this publication are a cooperative effort by eight Virginia Cooperative Extension ANR agents, one retired agent, and the Eastern Virginia AREC superintendent. We are proud to present this year’s on-farm small grain plot work to you. We hope the information in this publication will help farmers produce a profitable crop in 2025.

This report presents results from barley and wheat trials conducted in Virginia in 2023-2024. In Virginia, small grain cultivar performance trials are conducted each year by the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. The trials provide information to assist Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agents in formulating cultivar recommendations for small grain producers and to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state. Yield data are reported for individual locations, and across locations and years. Performance of a given variety often varies widely over locations and years which makes multiple location-year averages a more reliable indication of expected performance than data from a single year or location. Details about management practices for barley and wheat are listed for each experiment location.

Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum) is the most common weed reported in wheat fields in Virginia. It is a winter annual weed and germinates when day/night temperatures range from 50/41°F to 77/41°F, which coincides with wheat germination. The emergence of this weed can occur both in fall as well as spring seasons. Controlling Italian ryegrass in wheat with herbicides becomes challenging as both are grass species, and limited herbicide options are available, especially when it is herbicide-resistant. In Virginia, Italian ryegrass populations are resistant to ALS-inhibitors (Group 2), and/or ACCase-inhibitors (Group 1) herbicides. Experiences from on-station and on-farm research indicate that postemergence herbicides alone cannot provide complete control of Italian ryegrass. A combination of preemergence and postemergence herbicides ensures effective control of this troublesome weed.