"The key to growing winter wheat is timing, timing, timing!" says Lorne Niebergall of Yorkton, the recipient of this year's Winter Wheat Challenge Award. He adds, "Seeding winter wheat should be done about the first of September, not the 28th."
Lorne has been growing winter wheat almost continuously since 1983. That was the year he bought some land where the crop had been devastated by hail. He used a Morris Hoe Press drill to seed directly into the standing stalks. He says everything went well and he got a good crop. In 1984, he used the same equipment to seed into a variety of stubbles. The winter wheat did the best on the flax stubble simply because the equipment could better handle that amount of trash. For a few years, Lorne seeded the winter wheat with an air seeder on 12" spacings by spiking it in. He says that while the crops were never awesome they were never poor enough to be discouraged. Eventually, Lorne bought a Haybuster and has used that the last few years.
At seeding, Lorne applies the P205 with the seed. In the spring, he usually broadcasts 34-0-0 according to the soil test recommendations. One year, he applied about 80 lbs of actual N and it was the one and only time he grew a 60 bu/acre winter wheat crop that graded #1.
His award winning crop, consisting of the Norstar and Kestrel varieties, was seeded Sept. 8, 1994 with a Morris Air Drill. Three days previously, he did a pre-seed burn-off using 1.0 L/ac Roundup. At this rate, he achieved an excellent clean up of the grasses and thistles. In the spring of 1995, he sprayed liquid N at a rate of about 70 lbs. Dyvel was applied by air for more thistle control.
At harvest, Lorne reports some differences between the 2 varieties. The Norstar yielded about 47 bushels while the Kestrel yielded about 52. The Norstar produced lots of straw and tended to lodge. The Kestrel was not so tall and, therefore, held up better. A couple of days prior to swathing, strong winds blew. Lorne says it appeared that for every broken head in the Kestrel, there were 2 in the Norstar.
Following harvest, Lorne harrowed the stubble to spread the straw a little better. He says his combine does a good job of spreading the chaff. As Lorne purchased a new Flexi-coil air seeder this fall, he needed a field with heavy trash where he could " do a little experimenting" so he seeded the field with winter wheat again. However, that is not his usual rotation. Lorne says he likes to seed peas into the winter wheat stubble for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he likes to apply some Rustler with a little extra Roundup early in September. To date, he hasn't yet noticed any damage in the peas due to the carry over of the Banvel. Secondly, it seems the peas just do really well in that stubble.
When asked if he had any advise for first - time winter wheat growers, Lorne replied, "If you're leery of the crop, you should be -- just as you should be leery of any new crop. Start with a smaller acreage. Talk to other producers who have grown it. Get it seeded right (direct seed) so you and the crop get started on the right foot. And seed early!"
The Winter Wheat Challenge Award was sponsored by Ducks Unlimited and the Sask. Wheat Pool. In addition to receiving a plaque, Lorne will receive 1 ton of fertilizer from DU and a $250 credit from SWP. For more information on winter wheat, contact your local DU office.