Persistent drought and repeated freeze events have significantly impacted Nebraska’s 2026 wheat crop, prompting changes to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Crop Performance Testing Program’s annual Wheat Variety Tour schedule.
Despite these challenges, several tour stops will continue in modified formats, providing growers with timely insights on wheat variety performance and opportunities to interact with researchers and industry representatives.
"We are canceling the Deuel and Banner County field days," said Amanda Easterly, Research Associate Professor. "The Box Butte County dryland stop at Chris Cullan’s will also be canceled, though we will continue with the irrigated stop at that location."
The first two field days in Jefferson and Red Willow Counties will proceed as scheduled on June 10 and June 15, respectively. The field day at the Stumpf International Wheat Research Center in Perkins County will occur in a shortened format.
The event originally planned at the High Plains Ag Lab (HPAL) north of Sidney has been moved indoors to Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) in Sidney. The wheat at HPAL has been terminated due to the poor growing conditions. The indoor program will still include lunch and provide opportunities for growers to interact with seed representatives and hear updates from the UNL wheat breeding program.
Wheat variety trials in Scotts Bluff and Kimball Counties have also been terminated due to crop conditions. Remaining locations will continue to be monitored and may not be harvested if data quality standards are not met.
Certified seed is expected to be in short supply this year. Growers are strongly encouraged to reserve seed as soon as planting intentions are determined. Wheat yield data from previous years are available at UNL Cropwatch, including multi-year performance summaries and a variety selection tool. Growers are encouraged to review these resources to inform fall planting decisions.
Contact Dr. Cody Creech at 308-632-1266 with any questions regarding the field tours or variety selection.
Updated Wheat Variety Tour Schedule (2026)
June 10 – Jefferson County, Knobel Seeds (5 p.m. CT)
June 15 – Hitchcock/Red Willow County, Peters Seed Farms (5 p.m. CT)
June 16 – Perkins County, Stumpf International Wheat Research Center (9 a.m. MT)
June 17 – Cheyenne County, WNCC Sidney (indoor, lunch provided, 9 a.m. MT)
June 17 – Box Butte County (irrigated), Cullan Farm Seed (5 p.m. MT)
