rye, winter wheat, or spring wheat

[Dave from MN]

Have a 18 acre feild i rented($20/acre-this will be my 1st crop planting), sandier soil,been a failed pasture mix feild for the last 3 years, It is pretty dry here yet, (central MN) what would some of you experienced guys recommend, rye, winter wheat, or drill in spring wheat in the spring. FYI, I plan on adding light chicken manure and planting soybeans for following spring of "09

 

[Allan in NE]

Sublet it for $50 an acre? :>)

Allan

 

[IaGary]

If you got enough moisture to germinate the seed this fall I would put wheat in.

You get best moisture thru the winter and spring to develope the crop.

Or do as Allan says and lease it out.~})

Gary

 

[Anonymous-0]

What do you have for harvesting machinery? Place to store grain or sell out of the field? What kind of straw market?
If you have baling equipment, and a straw market you can plant winter rye and cut before it is ripe, let it bleach in the field a few days and bale for straw. A lot of guys here in NY do that because we have a strong market for staw.
Winter wheat is a good option if you can get it combined and trucked then bale the straw. You get the best price for wheat if you can store it for a while and wait for a better price. It will need some starter fertilizer then another shot of N at green up in the spring.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not much of a market for rye or rye straw. If you can seed it by 9-10, 15, winter wheat will work, otherwise go with spring grain- either wheat, barley, or oats. I know where you live (isn't that a scary thought?), east of SC- so on that ground I wouldn't get too wild with the chicken manure. Lotsa N, ok with adequate water, but bad in a year like this one. Regarding straw value- oats is most absorbent, but others like barley, wheat, rye, -not nearly as good unless chopped. If your market is cover for highway projects, might not matter. Knife River or their subs might want whatever you raise.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hey, Bud- that sounds like a legitimate bid! You can rent my F2 to harvest it- I'm only 40 miles away, but I'm on heavy clay and get $120 for what I rent out. Still have the 800 swather, ready to fire up.........you'd enjoy the MN summers, land, and lakes!

 

[Dave from MN]

It is late to hit I guess, but it just came up, they are new freinds and said have at it, they were trying to grow hay for their horses. I was just gonna hit it good with that there "chisel-vator" with the harrow and seed it in, should be able to do that in a day, or should I leave it set a bit before I drill the seed.

 

[Allan in NE]

Hi Guy,

You were right about the F's cylinder bars and concaves. Can't get the chrome ones anymore unless ya go aftermarket.

So, I just ordered the plain-jane series. Heck, they'll probably outlast me anyhoo. :>)

Pleasantly surprised that I could still buy that lower clean grain elevator boot. It comes with the door too.

Allan

 

[Bill(Wis)]

Cereal rye this fall. Drill roundup ready soybeans right into the growing rye in the spring. Kill rye with roundup. Send pictures. PS: My advice is "Free".

 

[Dave from MN]

"Send Pictures"????? Ok, ya stumped me on that one.

 

[paul]

I'd spray roundup, wait 7 days, plant rye _if_ you can find a market for it, combine it with the straw chopper engaged next summer to make good staw. Plan on driving slow, there tends to be a _lot_ of straw. If it's worth a little less, you get a lot more....

Hard part is finding a market for rye any more. Used to be a lot going through New Ulm, both the rye mill (which burned down) and Burdick (which changed owners a couple times now) were buyers back in the day.

We had trouble with winter wheat freezing out back in the '70s, gave up on that. But those were harsh winters, maybe works better now. Spring wheat typically gives better protien around here, and that is what they pay for, so I'd lean to spring wheat if no market for rye.

Don't do the manure too heavy, makes small grains lodge if it gets too rich.

--->Paul

 

[Anonymous-0]

Roundup...leave it sit for 10 days and then work it real good and oats in the spring

 

[Anonymous-0]

I agree with the Round up. I would go with the spring wheat because you have a good market for it and no risk of winter kill that you can get around here. I live in west central MN.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I'd seed it right away. If you wait you're just gonna lose more moisture with that second pass. Latest I ever seeded was in '83- I seeded alfalfa on Sept 15 on set-aside ground, using either oats or barley for a fall cover crop. Rain was forecast, and I decided it is now or next spring. Drizzling when I finished, but it grew some before freeze-up, and had a nice alfalfa stand in the spring.