Winter triticale, a cereal, has caught the eye of at least one cattleman in east central Saskatchewan. Ed Anaka, who farms north of Yorkton in the Gorlitz area, seeded his first fields to winter triticale in May, 1998 and is pleased with the crop so far.
"We became interested in winter triticale because of the crop's ability to provide pasture within about 6 weeks of seeding. On our light land and in dry springs, having pasture early in the spring is very important," said Ed.
Winter triticale will usually produce vegetation for 2 years. But with proper weed control, fertilizer and grazing or mowing management, the stand can be viable for 3 years or more. Ed said, "We've learned that by applying nitrogen and preventing the triticale from going into the shot blade stage, we can keep it vegetative and productive for a longer period".
The triticale featured in the photos was direct seeded into oat stubble in May, 1998. The seeding rate was one bushel per acre in a mix with 2.5 bu/acre oats and 0.5 bu/ac peas. He also applied 60 lbs actual N in a side band at seeding. Ed likes to direct seed his forage crops. "I feel that direct seeding is good for the forages because of the greater moisture retention in that system", explained Ed.
In August, Ed cut the green feed mixture. By that time, the oats already had kernels in them and the triticale was about 8 inches high. After the cutting, the triticale recovered nicely and had about 6 inches of growth going into the winter.
The feed analysis was a pleasant surprise to Ed when he received it. "My replacement heifers were receiving only the oat/pea/triticale green feed but they were doing really well. When the feed test results came back, the second cut alfalfa had 18.6% available protein while the green feed had 20.3%."
This spring (1999), Ed sprayed the triticale with 2,4-D and applied liquid nitrogen at about 60 lbs actual per acre. On June 3, the winter triticale was 2½feet tall and shooting out tillers. By July 21, the triticale was fully headed and stood above Ed. Ed will let this crop mature so that he can sell the seed.
In addition to his cow-calf operation, Ed is a forage seed producer. He sold some winter triticale seed this spring to customers who wanted "instant pasture". A neighbour of Ed's, Al Claiter, was one of his customers.
Al seeded the triticale on 95 acres at 2 bu per acre without any nurse crop. Fall rye had been on the field in 1998 and manure had been spread on it in the fall. Al applied 80 lbs of 34 - 0 - 0 following seeding.
Once the triticale was up, Al put 40 yearling heifers and 15 cow-calf pairs on it. Al says, "I swear by it for pasture. The cows would eat the stuff right down to the dirt and still they didn't want to move even though the grass in the next pasture was knee deep". Al kept the herd on the triticale for most of the summer.
Next spring, Al wants to seed some of the triticale with a few pounds of oats to compare a pure stand to one with a little bit of a nurse crop. He says, "I thought the triticale was a little slow coming out of the ground. Perhaps with a few oats, the oats would emerge first and there'd be some grazing for the cattle before the triticale emerged."
The versatility of winter triticale is creating a lot of interest among producers. Its ability to grow on lighter land and take advantage of early spring moisture, its ability to compete against winter annuals and wild oats and its productivity make it an attractive option for the cattle and grain producers alike.
For more information on winter cereal production, contact the Winter Cereals Canada head office in Yorkton (782 - 8188).