As usual, a lot of things are going on around the farm, but the focus this week has been wheat harvest.
We prepped for harvest last week by giving the combine and draper head a quick maintenance once-over. We fueled it up and had it ready to go. I also sprayed defoliant on the wheat. It’s supposed to speed along the drying/maturing process, but my takeaway is that it helps even out the field so you’re not waiting on greener areas to mature before you can cut the crop. We’ve been told there is no yield loss when you apply this product at dough stage. The crop has amassed all its dry matter at that point.
Monday was delayed by a few pop-up showers, but the front brought in a nice breeze which permitted us to start at a decent time Tuesday. We only have about 150 acres of wheat, but with an eye toward planting double-crop soybeans, we want to get the wheat off as soon and quickly as possible. We want the soybeans to have as much time as possible to grow.
Selling the straw
With fewer wheat acres in our area this year, the value of straw is higher. Last year the fertilizer value and straw value were about the same, so we didn’t sell any straw. This year we’re making an additional withdrawal from the fertilizer bank and selling the straw. That’s slowing down the process by a day or two, but we still hope to have the soybeans planted by the end of the week. With the temperatures we’ve been having, they’ll be out of the ground in 3 to 5 days.
Adding biodiversity
We’re still playing with bringing wheat back into our rotation. We don’t need it for livestock bedding or feed. We don’t need a place to spread manure (although we may have a market taking it to people who do). We don’t need to take on any large-scale drainage projects.
What I do like is the biodiversity. I think wheat offers benefits in the crops that follow it for at least one season and maybe two.
Everyone, have a great 4th of July!