"Do you know anyone who has sprayed out a forage stand and then direct seeded winter wheat into it?" That was the question posed to me by Dwayne Kitzan who farms north of Theodore. I replied that no one came to mind but that I'd do some checking. After a few phone calls to other agrologists, it became apparent that removing forages with a herbicide and then direct seeding winter wheat into the field wasn't a common practice. While it sounded good in theory, we couldn't come up with a name of anyone who had tried it. Dwayne decided he would.
In mid July, I visited Dwayne and we looked at the 2 fields of forages he wanted to remove. Both fields were 10 years old. The first was a mixture of alfalfa and smooth brome grass although there wasn't much alfalfa left in the stand. The second field was also a mixture of alfalfa and brome, but there were mole hills everywhere! The mole (pocket gopher) activity had left the field so rough that it was becoming increasingly difficult to cut and bale the hay. Yet the stand itself appeared to be quite healthy. This health was due to the fertilizer it had received. In April of both 1999 and 2000, Dwayne broadcast a blend of N-P-K-S on the field. He indicated that he has come to believe in the value of fertilizing forages as he estimates that the production on that field tripled after the fertilizer was applied.
Following Monsanto's recommendation, Dwayne applied 2.0 L/acre Roundup Dry to the fields on July 14. He cut the hay July 17 and was able to begin baling it on July 20.
On August 21, Dwayne seeded the variety Claire at 120 lbs/acre and applied 7 lbs N, 35 lbs and 10 lbs K20 fertilizer with his Morris air drill and paired row openers. He felt the fields were really rough after seeding so he gave them a light harrowing.
When I called Dwayne in mid-October to ask him about how everything went, he replied, "Just excellent! The germination was great and there aren't any weeds to contend with." Dwayne said he'll keep an eye on the fields next spring and if there appears to be a problem with winter annuals, he'll apply some 2,4-D.
Seeding winter wheat into a field that had forages may not be a common practice but Dwayne Kitzan has shown it can be done successfully.