My Wheat Is A Little Pale

My no till wheat behind conventional soybeans came up in record time, I saw blades emerged in 3 days.  That's the quickest I ever remember.  A week later, I had a 99% stand.  It's a brand new winter wheat from the Ohio breeding program called Lion.  The seed was raised right down the road at Steritz seed on similar soils.  We hope it ROARS!

I noticed the blades were on the yellow side or pale.  I started wondering if 100 lbs AMS was enough nitrogen.  I remembered that was the highest nitrogen test I've had on a soybean crop then it hit me today.  That pre-emerge spray of Sonic herbicide in  late May is the culprit.

Even if it's been 4 months or 120 days, I know why that wheat is pale.  I have a little carry over herbicide and the label says 4 months.  I don't think it's enough to hurt this wheat but it is there.  Even labeled herbicides reduce yield and I am hoping I didn't do that to my new crop with my soybean herbicide or anything I spray next spring.

I will tell you one thing, it's the cleanest no till wheat I ever had!  There maybe 100 thistles on the whole farm and a little bit of Johnson grass near the first creek.  I've never cleaned up a run down farm this quickly; lime, lots of fertilizer and good weed control.  That's the secret to farming around here!  Is it that way where you live?

There are rumors there will be less wheat in Ohio this year.  Most of the state is wet.  All my friends who raise lots of wheat can't get it in, it's too wet.  This was dusty dry at planting and you know what they say, plant in dust and the bins will bust!  Then we got over 3 inches over the weekend and I think every seed sprouted.  I might have it too thick but I plan to feed it.

$7 wheat fits in well with the plan for this farm.  I need organic matter and the wheat straw will do that for me.  If I can hit it hard with AMS at combining and chase the combine with the drill again this year, we just might make more money than the crop of corn I was planning to raise.

When the beans come of early and I can plant wheat or a cover crop, it gets planted.  We planted rye after corn last year and it really helped control the weeds and build the soil for the soybean crop that followed.  Our yields and quality is excellent and the corn stalks are still rotting down, plenty of food for our soil microbiology.

The combines started rolling here today as we stopped to talk to Brian and Darren Hefty on The Back Forty portion of their radio show on Rural Radio.  I always enjoy talking to those guys as they talk to people like me all around the country.  We talked about continuous soybeans today and there are fields around here that have been soybean for decades.  Lots of you are listening, too, you've told me!

It's beautiful weather here in southwest Ohio and here's hoping it hangs on a while longer!

Ed Winkle