We live in a winter wheat wonderland

The farming community recently has just been thrown into an energycrazed flurry of grease guns, phone calls, and last minute repairs on equipment. The combines (harvesting corn and soybean grain) and choppers (cutting corn silage) are starting to roll-out into the country-side for the start of harvest season. As more and more acres are getting ready to be harvested, the question arises of what should be done next; like plant a cover crop, apply manure, fall chisel plow, or seed down a winter grain cash crop. Often understood but a keystone crop of Wisconsin, farmers should consider Wisconsin’s first cash crop: winter wheat.

Wisconsin was America’s powerhouse for wheat, especially in the 1840s-1890s. An excellent presence of moisture (from the soil and climate) make excellent test weight (weight of the grain), and the eons of glaciation made our soils nutrient dense for high fertility which help push for higher yields and great straw production. Wheat also paired well with the growing dairy industry, providing a crop for grain for feed, straw for bedding, and open field rotations for seeding down hay and spreading manure. It was a match made in heaven, but today we see less wheat grown. It isn’t a widely grown crop than it has been (10% less in Marathon County since 1999), but its benefits are well worth the effort of planting it.

Not as complex as it seems, there are a few things that will determine a good crop of wheat. Winter wheat is most popular planted following behind soybeans (meaning, after the soybeans are harvested, then the wheat is planted next), but following corn silage has been growing because it gives the farmer a sooner planting date, which is one of the most critical elements to establishing a good-stand. In Wisconsin the planting date range is between September 20th and October 10th. Planted too early means a higher risk of damage to the tissues/leaves in the depths of winter, but planted too late can lead to lower bushel potential.

Variety selection is important as well. Some are better on all types of field conditions because of heavy disease resistance, some yield heavy test weight but low straw production, some are excellent at straw production but need good fertility, and some are just plain overpriced compared to other brands. The planting rate should be determined by seeds per acre, not pounds of seed per acre. Most farmers in our area will plant between 1,250,000 to 150,000,000 but the recommended rate is 1,750,000. To avoid head scab and vomitoxin farmers should count on a fungicide application close to heading, especially when the wheat was planted following a corn field. The field corn debris can often be the source of vomitoxin. Lastly, don’t overlook fertility. An application of nitrogen and sulfur needs to be considered in the spring to increase plant vigor and healthy growth.

Another reason winter wheat was popular then is a reason winter wheat is an ideal choice now: low input costs and excellent rotation partner. Compared to other cash crops growing small grains is lower in cost of production and less demanding for crop protection services/products. Wheat also offers the best opportunity to build fertility and reduce compaction on fields. Various studies conducted in the Midwest over recent years show definitive yield increases in corn and soybean yields when winter wheat is added in the rotation. This is because the wheat increases the soil structure by reducing compaction, which creates more water infiltration and oxygen in the soil. When a cover crop is added, the soil condition and fertility are elevated from the active roots from the cover crops and the nutrients it is sequestering, and eventually releasing in the spring after termination.

Wheat pricing may not be the most glamorous, and certainly we all have memories of working in the blazing summer heat itching from the straw on the dairy farm, however, the multiple avenues of opportunities it presents in a rotation make it a good choice for a Wisconsin farmer.

THE SOIL

SOUNDOFF

BY

MATT OEHMICHEN AGRONOMIST