Page 2 - MWC 09-9-2021s

Planting Wheat for Grazing The Midwest Cattleman · September 9, 2021 · P2

By Paul Beck
Wheat is a great resource is the goal. Profitability of
for Oklahoma farmers and grazing depends on achieving
ranchers, it can be used for the earliest forage produc-
grazing only, grain produc- tion and maximizing forage
tion only, or as a dual-pur- during the fall and winter,
pose grazing and grain crop. so planting dates can be as
Ideal planting dates are dif- early as the end of August
ferent depending on the in- into early September.
tended purpose of the crop. When fields are planted
The best grain crops are earlier, soil temperatures are
usually planted much later higher and soil moisture is
in the fall, around mid to usually limiting, therefore…
late October. Dual purpose •Higher soil tempera-
(grazing and grain) crops are tures limit the length of the
planted in mid to late Sep- emerging shoot (coleoptile) of Wheat grazing. Photo-OSU
tember. Because it is a dou- the plant so planting depth
ble cropping system, seeding should be less than 1 inch. worms, are a bigger issue cooler than clean-till, mois-
rates, planting dates, and •In clean till fields hard for early planted wheat, so ture retention is often bet-
fertilizer management are rains can cause the seed bed scouting and control are im- ter, and there are less prob-
compromises between the to crust over hindering emer- portant. lems with soil crusting. The
needs for fall forage produc- gence of the wheat plant. •Seeding rates for early cooler soil temperatures will
tion and grain production in •Earlier seeding makes it planted wheat are recom- slow seedling emergence for
the spring. difficult to control cool season mended to be higher than late fall plantings but can be
When wheat is used only broadleaf and grassy weeds, later planted wheat at 1.5 of benefit for early planted
for grazing through the fall so rotation of crops or seed- (90 pounds per acre) to 2 (120 wheat.
and winter and as a graz- ing dates becomes necessary pounds per acre) bushels per Recent research showed
ing or hay crop in the spring, to clean up these issues. acre. that fall forage production
planting dates are much ear- •Insect pests, such as In no-till with good residue
lier than if grain production grasshoppers and fall army cover, soil temperatures are continued on page 12

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