Unseen for a few years, two major wheat diseases have re-emerged, catching farmers off guard. Damon Smith, UW-Extension Plant Pathologist says he’s starting to see diseases really taking hold and shutting the plants down early.

“We’re seeing the resurgence of stripe rust and fusarium head blight (scab),” says Smith. “After several years of relative calm, this has caught many by surprise.”

Smith says he saw the most significant severity on certain susceptible varieties in our southern locations, particularly around Arlington. As we move north, the severity decreases, which aligns with the fact that stripe rust spores generally can't overwinter in Wisconsin and instead travel from the deep south.