Standard practice/advice is to pull off the flower stalks. (Pull don't cut because that will leave a stub to rot) But my rhubarb has never flowered so I can't tell you from experience whether it makes a difference.

Hmmm.... good question. My rhubarb is doing the same thing - I just noticed it today. At least one huge fat flower stalk is forming on the largest of the plants. Hopefully someone will comment about whether it is really advantageous to thwart the flowering stage.

Thanks flora and raisemybeds - any body else?

I cut mine off at the base. I think it's done so the energy goes into more stalks instead of the blossom.

But what do I know?

Pull all flower stalks out like you said the flower stalks will take energe from the plant to make seed.
YOPPER

Common wisdom is to yank flowers on any plant where you don't need the fruit or seed. Yet sometimes it doesn't make any difference. One year I experimented with de-flowering one of my rhubarb plants and not the other one. The next year I had forgotten which was which. I could not notice any difference between them. Yet the rhubarb farmers around me (I live in rhubarb country - Canby, Oregon) make a habit of cutting the flowers in some fields, yet not in others. 8^? So cut the flowers if you are so inclined.

I don't know anything about rhubarb flowering, other than mine just did so this year and I pulled off the heads.

That said, I wonder if the farmers pull them off to avoid weed seedlings.

I yank them off, not sure why, it's just what I learned and have always done. Mine flower alot. I think it may be because they need to be divided....but I don't really know that for sure either. Interesting how some garden lore got passed along and I never questioned whether it ws valid or not.

i always break, cut,or pull the flower stalks as soon as i see them,,,i was told and tend to believe that it makes for a longer harvesting season,,,mmmm rhubarb and strawberry pie.