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Sanilac Co. Michigan | John, I don't believe you can put oats in early enough. That said I shoot for no later than the last week in April. If the neighbor is putting sugar beets in you ought to be done sowing oats.
My oats go lots of different places, everything from private sale, to the Andersons. I usually run mine through a fanning mill so I'm not afraid to charge for em. Also gets TW north of 38#, and that's a MUST. Also, you really gotta have storage dedicated to them so you can get the best price, which is usually when you least want to move grain. Price is a moving target, but I've sold them for anywhere from $1.50 to $5.00/32# bu. when there's absolutely no oats in the country. A lot of this is to customers that buy no more than 100 bu., so it's a little bit like selling hay by the bale. Think "horse people", and think about how much their good intentions are worth when it comes time to pay up. Nuff said there!
Ida's suck as far as I'm concerned. Fairly good disease resistance, but limited yield potential. Ontario varieties offer some better genetics, in my opinion. Least wise, OMAFRA seems to invest some research dollars in to oat and barley breeding and development whereas MSU, well, not so much.
The biggest issue is disease resistance, or the lack thereof! I think the fungal diseases have morphed some and so the resistance bred into varieties isn't as effective as it used to be. Figure on at least one application of fungicide at or just before flag leaf. Crown rust is a real issue.
Inputs aren't much less than wheat. Maybe a little less N and fewer fungicide applications. Contrary to popular belief, it's not a cheap crop to grow! If you get an early spring and a mild spring and summer with plenty of moisture, they can yield like crazy. If you have a late spring, and a hot, dry summer, well, your dinked! I think wheat is a little more reliable crop, but that's just me.
Hope I haven't rambled to much but that's about all I know about growing oats in four paragraphs! | |
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Ontario Oat Growers
