Keep Scabby Wheat Separate From Field to Bin

Keep your options open before grain gets mixed

If some wheat areas have more head scab than others, harvest and store the worst areas separately. Keeping that separation through hauling and unloading preserves your choice to test, clean and market those lots separately. The decision starts before harvest—not after grain from different areas is mixed in one bin.

Plan separate loads, not just separate combine passes

Fusarium head blight, also called head scab, does not necessarily affect every part of a wheat field equally. Penn State Extension’s June 2024 guidance explains that infection levels can vary within and between fields, depending on factors such as planting and flowering dates.

In its August 2022 small-grains guidance, University of Minnesota Extension recommends scouting about a week before harvest and harvesting and storing the worst fields or field areas separately.

Put that advice into a field-to-bin plan: identify the worst areas, decide which loads will carry their grain, and reserve storage that keeps it apart from less-affected wheat. Separate harvesting accomplishes little if both lots go into the same truck or bin afterward.

The benefit is flexibility, not a promised price improvement. You can make handling and marketing decisions for each lot instead of having only one mixed lot to work with.

More combine airflow has a tradeoff

Scabby kernels can be lightweight. Higher combine fan speed can remove a greater share of those kernels before they enter the grain tank. But Minnesota Extension also advises weighing the risk of leaving too much grain behind against possible discounts and the extra cost of cleaning before delivery.

That means neither maximum bushels in the tank nor maximum material blown out is the goal. Keeping more grain may also mean keeping more affected kernels; stronger airflow may remove more affected kernels while leaving more grain in the field. The useful balance depends on that wheat and the discounts and cleaning costs you face.

The guidance does not supply one fan setting or an acceptable loss percentage for every field. Keep the tradeoff in mind as harvest conditions change rather than treating a higher fan speed as an unlimited benefit.

Keep testing separate from appearance

DON, also known as vomitoxin, is a toxin produced by fungi that cause head scab. Penn State Extension’s DON guidance recommends sampling and testing grain from fields with high head-scab incidence and severity before feeding or sale. A cleaner-looking lot does not replace that testing.

Your useful first step is to identify the worst areas about a week before harvest and decide where their loads will go. If later cleaning is needed, Metra Grain Cleaner helps select equipment and settings for your grain. Contact Metra or call +1 701 515-0488 to discuss the problem and a possible sample test.