Jochum Wiersma

Man standing in front of green bushes wearing a maroon long sleeve quarter-zip shirt.
Extension Professor, Small Grains
[email protected]
218-281-8629 and 218-280-0123
108 Ag Research Center

2900 University Ave.
Crookston, MN 56716
United States

Small Grains Production and Management
Education
  • Ph.D., Plant Breeding, University of Minnesota, 1995 
  • Ir., Plant Breeding, Wageningen Agricultural University, 1991

Areas of Interest

  • Small grains production & management

Biography

Like so many in agricultural research, I too grew up on a farm. The family farm was a mixed dairy/crop farm 2 miles off the northern coast of Friesland, the Netherlands. I am stationed in the heart of small grain and sugar beet country at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center in Crookston. The opportunity and responsibility to have a direct and immediate impact as an applied researcher and extension specialist is very rewarding for me. Eighty percent of my job consists of education through extension, while twenty percent is committed to applied research in wheat, barley, oats, and more recently, (hybrid) rye. Furthermore, I work closely with the barley, oat, and wheat breeding programs at the University of Minnesota and manage a number of the on-farm trial locations for the breeding programs. 

Research

Maximizing grain yield and minimizing cost of production per bushel, whether that be a bushel of corn or wheat, is paramount for individual producers each and every year. This starts with variety selection for their ecological niche and is followed by pairing the appropriate (and correct amounts of) inputs with the selected varieties and then applying those inputs at the optimum time. 

>The goal of my work is to increase profitability of small grains in the production systems found across Minnesota by researching the effects of inputs, developing decision support systems to assist in timely application of those inputs, and researching alternative production systems for small grains.>

It is paramount that producers across the whole state have access to current and novel research findings that are applicable to their agro-ecological niches and have access to the best management practices and research-based recommendations to maximize small grain’s profitability and sustainability and to allow small grains to maintain or even expand a role in Minnesota’s evolving cropping systems.

Select Publications

  1. Beres, B.L., J.L. Hatfield, J.A. Kirkegaard, S.D. Eigenbrode, W.L. Pan, R.P.  Lollato, J.R. Hunt, S. Strydhorst , K. Porker K, D. Lyon, J.K. Ransom, and J.J. Wiersma. 2020. Toward a Better Understanding of Genotype×Environment×Management Interactions—A Global Wheat Initiative Agronomic Research Strategy. Front. Plant Sci. 11:828. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00828 
  2. Mehring, G.M., J.J. Wiersma, J.D. Stanley, and J.K. Ransom.  2020. Genetic and Environmental Predictors for Determining Optimal Seeding Rates of Diverse Wheat Cultivars. Agronomy 10:332. doi:10.3390/agronomy10030332
  3. Stanley,  J.D.,   G.H. Mehring, J.J. Wiersma, and J.K. Ransom.  2020. A Decision Support System to Guide Grower Selection of Optimal Seeding Rates of Wheat Cultivars in Diverse Environments. Front. Plant Sci. 11:779. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00779A
  4. Stanley, J.D., G.H. Mehring, J.J. Wiersma and J.J. Ransom. 2020.  A  Standardized  Method  for  Determining  Tillering  Capacity  of  Wheat  Cultivars. American  J. of  Plant  Sciences. 11:604-625. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2020.115046 
  5. Anderson J.A., J. J. Wiersma, S. K. Reynolds, R. Caspers, G .L. Linkert, J. A. Kolmer, Y. Jin, M. N. Rouse, R. Dill-Macky, M. J. Smith, L. Dykes and J.B. Ohm. 2019. Registration of ‘Shelly’ Hard Red Spring Wheat. Journal of Plant Registrations 13:199–206 (2019). doi:10.3198/jpr2018.07.0049crc
  6. Heuschele, D.J., J. Wiersma, L. Reynolds, A. Mangin, Y. Lawley, P. Marchetto. 2019. The Stalker: An open source force meter for rapid stalk strength phenotyping. HardwareX 6:e00067. doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2019.e00067
  7. Kaiser D.E., A.K. Sutradhar and J.J. Wiersma. 2019. Do Hard Red Spring Wheat Varieties Vary in Their Response to Sulfur? Agron. J. 111:2422–2434. doi:10.2134/agronj2018.12.0798
  8. Zhong, B.H.W., J.J. Wiersma, C.C. Sheaffer, B.J. Steffenson, and K.P. Smith. 2019. Assessment of Winter Barley in Minnesota: Relationships among Cultivar, Fall Seeding Date, Winter Survival, and Grain Yield. Crop Forage Turfgrass Manage. 5:190055. doi:10.2134/cftm2019.07.0055
  9. Anderson, J.A., J. J. Wiersma, G. L. Linkert, S. K. Reynolds, J. A. Kolmer, Y. Jin, M. Rouse, R. Dill-Macky, M. J. Smith, G. A. Hareland and J.-B. Ohm. 2018. Registration of ‘Bolles’ Hard Red Spring Wheat with High Grain Protein Concentration and Superior Baking Quality. J. Plant Reg. 12: 2: 215-221. doi:10.3198/jpr2017.08.0050crc
  10. Anderson, J.A., J. J. Wiersma, G. L. Linkert, S.K. Reynolds, J. A. Kolmer, Y. Jin, M. Rouse, R. Dill-Macky, G. A. Hareland and J.-B. Ohm. 2018. Registration of ‘Linkert’ Spring Wheat with Good Straw Strength and Adult Plant Resistance to the Ug99 Family of Stem Rust Races. J. Plant Reg. 12: 2: 208-214. doi:10.3198/jpr2017.07.0046crc
  11. Heuschele, D.J., D. Catalano. K. Martinson, and J.J. Wiersma. 2018. Consumer Knowledge and Horse Preference for Different Colored Oats. J. Equine Vet Sci. 71 (6): 6-12.
  12. Jin Z. 1, J. Gillespie,, J. Barr 1, J.J. Wiersma, M. E. Sorrells, S. Zwinger, T. Gross, J. Cumming, G.C. Bergstrom, R. Brueggeman, R.D. Horsley, and P.B. Schwarz. 2018. Malting of Fusarium Head Blight-Infected Rye (Secale cereale ): Growth of Fusarium graminearum, Trichothecene Production, and the Impact on Malt Quality. Toxins 2018 10(9): 369. doi.org/10.3390/toxins10090369
  13. Anderson, J. A., J. J. Wiersma , G. L. Linkert, S. K. Reynolds, J. A. Kolmer, Y. Jin, M. Rouse, R. Dill-Macky, G. A. Hareland, and J. -B. Ohm. 2017. Registration of ‘Norden’ Hard Red Spring Wheat. J. Plant. Reg. 0. doi:10.3198/jpr2017.07.0045crc
  14. Rines, H.W., Miller, M.E., Carson, M., Chao, S., Tiede, T., Wiersma, J.J. and Kianian S.F.   2017. Identification, introgression, and molecular marker genetic analysis and selection of a highly effective novel oat crown rust resistance from diploid oat, Avena strigose .  Theor Appl Genet (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-3031-0.
  15. Wiersma, J.J. and B.R. Durgan. 2017. Spring Wheat Response to Simulated Glyphosate Drift. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management 3 (1). doi:10.2134/cftm2017.09.0066
  16. Dai, J., B.W Bean B. Brown. J. Edward, M. Flowers, R. Karow, C. Lee, G. Morgan, M. Ottman, J. Ransom, J.J. Wiersma . 2016. Harvest index and straw yield of five classes of wheat. Biomass and Bioenergy 85:223-227.doi: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.12.023

Honors and Awards

University of Minnesota

  • Dean’s Award for Distinguished Team - Institute for Ag Professionals. University of Minnesota Extension (2014).

External

  • American Society of Agronomy - Educational Materials Contest: Certificate of Excellence for the Small Grains Field Guide (2006).
  • American Society of Agronomy - Educational Materials Contest: Certificate of Excellence for the SmallGrains website (2008).
  • NDSU Extension Service - Program Excellence Award for ‘Best of the Best in Wheat and Soybean Research & Marketing’ program (2010).
  • Honorary Premier Seedsman Award. Minnesota Crop Improvement Association. (2016).