Growing oats in United States

The oats crop being susceptible to dry weather and high temperature conditions is grown only in a limited way in the Southern States. These states usually produce winter oats that grow during the cool growing season.

Winter oats are generally grown between latitudes of 20’ to 40’ north. Oat grains are sown in the winter and ripened in the fields by the summer sun. The oats are then harvested when fully ripe in the autumn.

One can easily recognize oats from other grain crops such as wheat and barley, by the way the grains appear in clusters called "panicles" on tall graceful stems.

The crop is adaptable to many soil types, produces better on acid soils than other small grains and grows successfully on the leached, acid podzolic of humid, cool regions.

Oats bar

The growing period for the spring sown varieties ranges from 90 days in the US Corn Belt to nearly 180 days in northern Europe.

A typical oat plant grows to around 90cm (3ft) high and each stem generally carries about twenty to twenty-five grains.

Each panicle carries two or three grains and each grain is covered by a outer husk that helps protect it all the way to the mill. These oat grains are the raw material used to produce oatmeal and a variety of oat-based products.

Part of the oats crop is used for human food, the best quality of oats being ground into oatmeal or manufactured into rolled oats and proprietary breakfast foods, but their main use is as animal feed, the bulk of the crop being consumed on the farms where it is grown. Growing oats in United States

Oats production in United States

Common oats (Avena sativa) are grown in the cooler and moister regions of the temperate zones.

Oats are widely cultivated in United States and are adaptable to a wider range of climate, soil types and cultural techniques than are most other cereals. There were introduced into North America in 1602.

Between 1860 and 1954 oats production multiplied nearly eight times in the United States. Oats grown in rotation with corn and hay and as a nurse crop for clover in the Corn Belt and North.

Oats is a significant crop in the Northern and Central Plains, especially in North Dakota. It can produce high quality forage, be used as a feed grain, and can be used for human consumption in hot and ready-to-eat cereals and granola bars.

Oats also are planted as a companion crop for establishment of various grasses and legumes. Oats can grow on many soil types, however, medium-textured soils, with good water-holding capacity are preferred over light or poorly drained soils.

There are winter oats planted in the late fall, and spring oats, planted as soon as fields become workable and the threat of frost is minimal.

Most of the domestic production comes from the spring type of the northern states. Spring oats are well adapted to cool and adequate moisture conditions of this region. Seeds generally germinate at 44-45 °F. Spring oats are planted in late February through April across the Northern and Central Plains.

Winter oats are generally grown between latitudes of 20 degree to 40 degree north. There are often used for forage during their pre-winter growth, then allowed to mature for grain harvesting in early summer.

Frequently, it is planted between a fall-harvest crop and wheat that is to be planted the next fall. It is essential to harvest oats at the proper stages. Oat for forage should be harvested from the boot to early milk stage. Best silage is produced when oats are harvested at the late-milk to late-dough stages. Oats are harvested for grain when kernels reach 15% moisture.

Oats production in United States

Oats in general

Oats has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. Some archeologists determined that one of the first harvest was in Middle Eastern region of the Mediterranean Sea, for reasons of rich and ease of access to water for irrigation.

Over the centuries, oats were generally regarded to be fit only for animal feed. However, the popularity of oat as a part of the human diet has increased because of reports describing the beneficial nutritional properties of oat Beta-glucan.

Oats are a temperate crop and compared with other cereals grow well in damp, marginal upland areas.

The oils in oats cause them to become rancid, so they must be processed more quickly than other grains.

Today, the primary use of oats is as animal feed. Still, with the pressure of advertising, we are all aware of the nutritional value of oats in our diet.

Oats have a higher level of soluble fiber than all other grains. Oat fiber is of particular interest because the soluble fiber fraction is the main cholesterol lowering component in oats.

The dietary fiber Beta-glucan is credited with imparting several nutritional benefits, including satiety, aiding in blood glucose metabolism, reducing serum cholesterol, and improving gastrointestinal health.

Oat groats are the whole seed with only the outer hull removed. Rolled oats are the familiar breakfast form. Steel cut oats are oats seed that have been chopped into pieces. Quick Oats are rolled steel cut oats, and instant oats are pre-cooked, dried and flattened steel cut oats.
Oats in general

Oats pest infestation

The oats weevil is distributed all over the world and cause severe damage to storage oats. Oats may be infested by the following cereal pests during storage and transport:

*granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius)
*cadelle beetle (Tenebroides mauretanicus)
*rust-red grain beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus)
*sawtoothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)
*European grain moth (Nemapogon granellus)
*Angoumois cereal moth (Sitotroga cerealella)

These insects infest stored oats and when either the grain are long kept and become old and stale, it is almost impossible to preserve them from being destroyed by one or other of these weevils.

The weevils are very destructive pest of storage oats world over. Both adults and larvae feed the grain, the adults are able to eat entire grain while the larvae prefer pieces of grains.

The chewing damage caused by the cereal pests brings about increased respiration in the cereal (hot spots) and this, associated with the metabolic activity of the pests themselves, promotes evolution of heat and moisture, which in turn provide favorable living conditions for molds and subsequently, at very high moisture levels, for bacterial growth.

Moths commonly attack grain before harvest, laying their eggs on or near grain. This pest can also infest grain after it is stores, especially in open store.

Pests of food commence causing problems at the sites of production on farms, and there is continual exposure through silos, mills, food processing plants, storage facilities, bakeries, shops, restaurants and homes.

Insect infestation may result in self-heating which ultimately gives rise to depreciation and final total loss. Inadequately cleaned warehouses, holds and containers are generally the root cause of insect infestation.
Oats pest infestation