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Eastern South Dakota | I debated once on a field of winter wheat back in 2001. It was thin in spots and had several small dead spots in it where ice had killed it in march thaw. But there usually 4 or 5 plants alive even in the dead spots. I waited until the end of May to decide weather to kill it and rotate it to something else. I decided to keep it. At harvest time you could always see the ground when combining and I was hoping for 40 bu. yield monitor went up to 110 bu/ac right away and I immediately cursed the monitor for being so far off. Field averaged 102 bu/ac! Things I learned from that.
1. a thin stand like what you have is far better than large dead spots. Wheat can really tiller with the right conditions and fill three and four kernels per spikelet and that is really where the yield comes from
2. If you have a lot of acres you could keep some and tear up some. We had a good row crop in 2001 as well so I'd have been ok no matter what I decided to do but I would have missed out on my highest wheat average ever and a chance to learn.
3. I have combined 130 bu straw and not gotten 40 bu/ac and 30 bushel straw that went over a 100. Stand is only one part of the equation. If you keep it take care of it like it was your best looking field ever, it will pay dividens! And stay ahead of the possible weeds in the thin spots.
4. Price is 2.5 times what it was in 2001 but then so is everything else.
5. Weather your a believer or not, faith is integral in being a farmer!
I farm in east central SD. | |
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Spotty Variable Wheat
