Flag Smut Detected In Western Kansas Wheat

Agricultural officials are contacting Kansas farmers with fields infected with flag smut disease in an effort to contain its spread. It is the first time it has been detected in Kansas since the 1930s

The Kansas Department of "Agriculture said Thursday the disease poses no human or animal health concerns and doesn’t impact grain quality. However, it can hurt wheat yields.

That is why the department is reaching out to farmers in the midst of harvest.

Officials are urging those farmers to delay harvest of infested fields until other fields are cut. They are asking that growers deliver wheat from infested fields to country elevators where it will be used for non-export uses.

The disease has been detected at low infestation levels in 39 fields in central and western Kansas.