Winter wheat adds some diversity to the crop rotation at Aaron Ruwe’s family farm in Hooper, Nebraska. He has been working wheat into his rotations for five years; this year he’ll take the wheat to grain and harvest straw for small square bales. 

Seeding specifics: After soybean harvest, Aaron plants 40 acres of winter wheat at the end of September or the first week of October, aiming for rain in the forecast. With his no-till drill, Aaron seeds a population of 1,350,000 seeds per acre, 1-1.5 inches deep with some down-pressure adjustments if the ground is hard. Planting at the correct seed depth provides a barrier against the cold, ensuring the wheat has a better chance at over-wintering. 

Words of advice: 1. Plan to plant early: “Soybean season length will impact your timing. Choose a short-season soybean if you want to ensure your winter wheat gets in early enough.” 

2. Mind your herbicide: “After soybeans, be aware of the chemical residual that may remain in the field. I’ve planted winter wheat into a field with lingering residual and got a spotty stand that I had to terminate.”

Chris Wilson of Wilson Organic Farms, is an organic dairy farmer near Cuba City, Wisconsin, who raises 400 cows alongside 3,500 acres of crops and pasture. On their 2,600 acres of crop ground they raise corn, soybeans, wheat (SRW & HRW), alfalfa-grass hay, oats, peas, triticale and barley (spring and winter) for grains and forages.

Join us September 2! Kevin will share about his breeding work, variety performance and more. Chris will share about his experience growing winter barley, dual cropping and added benefits of having barley in their extended rotations.

On the August shared learning call, we heard from Kevin Wagner about his fall seeding practices for a variety of winter small grains. 

Missed the call? Check out the highlights on the PFI blog!

Decreasing dependence on purchased inputs has been a tenet of PFI farmers since our inception. For years, we’ve been looking for ways to diversify our farms by adding additional crops and cover crops to our rotations. Not only does diversifying help cut down the need for purchased inputs, growing green manure crops reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

This style of farming is being recognized as “climate-smart” agriculture – full of farming solutions that make farms more resilient to climate change AND less reliant on purchased inputs. Learn more in this animated video about how green manure crops fix nitrogen and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

More and more people in the agricultural industry – including companies throughout the agricultural supply chain – are including fertilizer reduction as a key part of their climate plans. To that end, we’ll soon be announcing more details about a new cost-share program focused specifically on reducing fertilizer by including green manure crops to rotations. Stay tuned!

Revisit this blog recap of a 2016 research report on seeding rates for winter triticale. 

Cooperator Paul Mugge, compared two seeding rates to assess impact on yield and plant population. Both seeding rates resulted in equivalent plant populations and yields.

In this 2017 blog, long-time PFI Cooperators Paul Mugge and Dick Sloan, share their tips for success with winter triticale, rye and barley.

PFI’s Rotationally Raised series contains a wealth of information on small grains including when and what to plant, reducing inputs and markets. 

It's a go to resource for everything related to small grains. Check out the 12-part series here!

Find our booth to join conversations, ask questions and share practical advice on topics such as cover crops, small grains, grazing and more. Or, just stop by for a bag of popcorn and to say “Hi”!

Note: Tickets must be purchased to enter the show. Visit farmprogressshow.com for more information.

August 31: Workshop - Growing Organic Expertise: Tools for Organic Transition and Production in Iowa

September 9: Field Day - Drones, Extended Rotations and Cover Crop Grazing in Bloomfield

September 14: Field Day - On-Farm Cover Crop Research Trials

Contact taylor@practicalfarmers.org to plan or promote an event.