Experimental Testing of Relay Intercrop, Nitrate Harvesting
(Below) Shelton / Grand Island, NE, June 12, 2003
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Experimental Testing of Relay Intercrop, Nitrate Harvesting
(Below) Shelton / Grand Island, NE, June 12, 2003
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Summary
Producer Paul Gangwish raised 3 crops in 2 years at Grand Island, NE.
Commercial seed corn harvest in September is followed by seeding hard
red winter wheat in early October. Soybeans are relay planted into
filling winter wheat in early June. Winter wheat harvest occurs in early
July. Soybeans are harvested in October. |
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Understanding
Hybrid Seed Corn Production
Center pivot seed
corn producers harvest hybrid seed corn in early September in
Nebraska. Seed corn is normally harvested on the cob with pickers and
special wagons so an early harvest is the norm. Seed corn is produced
with commercial fertilizer and no shortage of nitrogen is required to
produce top quality seed. Soil phosphate levels are sometimes elevated
to 30 to 45 PPM. The soils are 2 to 3% organic matter at 6.5 to 6.8
Ph. This assures the highest quality nutrient packed seed for the
hybrid seed companies. Seed corn must be picked timely in September
even in wet conditions. A killing frost
can come early and damage the hybrid seed. The seed corn is specially
dried by the seed corn company to a critical moisture value to assure a
high level of germination.
Hybrid seed corn is somewhat similar to
how foundation and certified
winter wheat seed is produced in
the PNW using a high level of residual nutrients from a potato ground
rotation to propagate certified winter wheat seed. High quality seed is
produced using nutrient rich soils.
Nutrient packing of the seed kernel produces additional plant vigor from a large heavy kernel for winter wheat stand establishment (8,500 seeds per pound). Potato ground also tends to have less potential for wheat root diseases. The potato ground is also located in an area west of the Cascades that has very little potential for head scab (snow mold life cycle). The prevailing winds of the Pacific Push from the Gulf of Alaska and the dry rain shadow Columbia basin climate allows for ideal winter wheat seed production.
An environmental
problem sometimes occurs with corn and seed corn production.
Nitrate can be leached below the root zone of the irrigated seed corn
due to a mismanaged watering schedule. Continuous corn rotations and up
7 pounds of N per inch of irrigation water adds to the problem.
Irrigated corn root systems have about 1/2 the depth of dryland corn.
The normal rooting depth of irrigated corn is 3 feet. Dryland corn is
no deeper than 6 feet. Spring and Summer storms can also make water and
nitrogen management difficult at best for corn production.
See graphs A and B regarding corn root
systems for irrigated and dryland.
 IRRIGATED CORN
Seed corn is produced in the typical Midwest short rotation following soybeans. Ridge till/No-till systems are normally used in Nebraska. These advanced No-till systems or farming allow non mobile nutrients P and K to be stored and in perfect alignment for roots of the following crops. If tillage is implemented the bands of placed P and K become positionally and chemically unavailable to the following winter wheat crop.
Most agriculturist agree that the
rotation of corn and soybeans is a dangerously short rotation. A longer
rotation is needed to reduce risk and take advantage of the synergism of
a longer rotation using less chemicals. Longer rotations also produce
less market risk and allow more marketing opportunities. In fact
livestock is often used to strengthen the cash flow and improve
liquidity. This is one of the purposes of using longer rotations.
Longer rotations improve the soil life
(microflora). Earthworm populations increase in longer rotations.
Earthworm populations are often studied to confirm the status of the
living soil.
Longer rotations using cool season soil
cover crops limit soil wind erosion with No-Till techniques. This
became clearly evident on May 22, 02 when two Interstate 80 vehicles
collided in blowing dust killing two people near Seward, NE. The jet
stream dropped down to the deck in a northwestern air stream flow. The
dry warm 80 F winds were clocked at 80 mph. The wind erosion event blew
directly into the path of the drivers line of sight. The exposed and
tilled fields adjoining the Interstate lost 20 to 50 tons per acre of
valuable top soil. A cover crop of winter wheat in a relay intercrop
would have protected the soil and saved irreplaceable family members.
 PHOTO TAKEN JUNE 4 / 02 AT PAUL GANGWISH INTERCROP FIELD, GRAND ISLAND, NE
The soybeans produce
about 1 pound of nitrate nitrogen for each 1 bushel of production.
Maximum soybean yields are in the 60 bushel per acre range so 60 pounds
of organic nitrate nitrogen are produced by the soybean legume.
Corn requires
1.1 pounds of nitrogen for each bushel produced. Seed corn does not
yield as high as field corn since 2 out of 12 rows are used for
the male parent and the hybrid plant vigor is not available from the
inbreed lines producing the new hybrid seed variety. So yields of
70 Bu. per acre to 140 Bu. per acre would be considered normal for
irrigated hybrid seed corn production. Thus the seed corn companies
reward the producers with financial incentives to produce top yields and
to compete with standard corn
production economics.
Soil sampling
following seed corn harvest indicates 100 pounds of mobile nitrate
nitrogen is stored in the 6 foot profile following seed corn harvest.
The soil nitrate levels for irrigated corn are normally sampled to 3
feet. ARS scientists have carried out research in the 3rd to 6th foot
determining where the nitrate is being stored. It is also known that
nitrate has accumulated below 6 feet and moving towards the shallow
water table. The key is to remove the mobile soil nitrate and all the
root profile soil moisture with the growing crops. This lessens the
chances of more nitrate moving below the root zone.
Estimates have been made that the US
has $21 Billion of nitrate (based on 21 cent N) that has moved below the
corn root system profile. Commercial nitrogen fertilizers were
introduced to Midwest agriculture 50 years ago. It is becoming a
most critical period in agriculture to reduce this uncontrolled emission
of nitrate into the drinking water.
Seward, NE on July 18, 2002 in fact issued orders to city water customers to not drink the water from city wells. The drinking water nitrate levels were above 10 PPM. Only 1 PPM is permissible in Europe. Seward, NE is an irrigated corn production area about 40 miles west of Lincoln and just north of I-80 along the Big Blue River. The Big Blue River drains into the Kansas River at Manhattan, KS. The source of drinking water nitrate is most likely from irrigated corn production from the last 50 years.
Nebraska is favored
for seed corn production due to the
ability to manage water and nutrients better than other areas of the
corn belt. Also the transportation to the eastern corn belt and the
western United States is excellent. The western corn belt tends to be
more consistent supplier of the hybrid seed corn production. This is
because the harvest is normally drier and the water cost is less.
The Nebraska seed
corn producers have a very unique advantage in a new system of farming
that is being led by USDA-ARS scientist Jim Schepers of Lincoln, NE,
seed corn producer Paul Gangwish of Grand Island, NE
and assisted by Guy Swanson of Spokane,
Washington. Swanson is providing agronomic and machinery technology
support. The transfer of this new crop production technology is coming
to Nebraska producers from private and government sectors.
Center Pivot
Irrigation Is Required.
 PHOTO TAKEN JULY 20 / 02 AT PAUL GANGWISH INTERCROP FIELD, GRAND ISLAND, NE. WINTER WHEAT HARVEST OCCURRED 14 DAYS EARLIER
Nebraska was
originally a winter wheat
state so the climate favors wheat. However winter wheat is
seldom raised under center pivots in Nebraska. Most winter wheat acres
of Nebraska are found in the much higher, moderate dryland rainfall,
3,000 feet to 5,000 feet elevation, of the western panhandle. A small
acreage of dryland winter wheat is raised south of the Platte River
Valley towards the Kansas state line.
The early seed corn harvest permits
high yield stand establishment of winter wheat
under center pivots at much lower
elevations. The center pivots located in the Platte River
valley combined with good water management tends to favor a cool season
crop such as winter wheat. This valuable tool allows an excellent fall
start of winter wheat at elevations of 1,900 feet and 41 degrees
north. Average mean low temperatures at Grand Island, NE are 12 degrees
F in the coldest month, January.
The "Flywheel Effect"
of soil irrigation is utilized. Center pivot production of winter wheat
also has another advantage over dryland wheat. The soil takes longer to
freeze in the fall and stores this heat longer going into the winter
months. The center pivot soils have stored moisture. More energy from
the environment is required to drop the soil temperature. Thus more
energy is required to warm the soil in the spring. The break in
dormancy is delayed. The winter wheat will grow longer in the fall
allowing the wheat to develop deeper root systems. You can measure this
"Flywheel Effect" by observing the time it takes water to boil in
microwave. A half full glass of water will boil faster than a full
glass of water.
Jim Schepers has taken a whole
new approach in seed corn production. Why not raise two crops
in a well managed relay? His
new approach is used to manage
nitrate leaching and absorb carbon from the atmosphere by raising two
crops per year following seed corn. He has observed Relay Intercrop in
Argentina and came back with some fresh ideas for Nebraska seed corn
producers using center pivots. Producer Paul Gangwish likes the new
system since the economics are quite favorable and it just matches his
workload.
Farming is a
Controversy with Weeds
The reason Jim Schepers approach has a high degree
of success is simple....Weed Control, low wheat root disease pressure,
leverage fertility, Ridge Till and a dedicated area for Roundup ready
soybean establishment. Previous attempts to Relay Intercrop in Nebraska
have been tried. In fact in 1989 UNL researchers carried out studies
and published a NebGuide for Relay Intercropping titled, Two Crops
in One Year: Relay Intercropping.
www.unl.edu/pubs/fieldcrops/g1024.htm.
Irrigated Platte Valley Nebraska wheat
has not been raised since the 1960's when center pivots were developed.
After all Nebraska is the Corn Husker state. Therefore wheat root
diseases and typical winter annual weeds such as Jointed Goat Grass,
Ripgut Brome and Downey Brome are hard to find. The most difficult
weeds in winter wheat production are winter annual grasses, fall and
spring Wild Oats and Russian Thistle. The most difficult perennial
noxious weeds are Morning Glory and Canadian Thistle. In the PNW these
weeds dictate long four year rotations with three spring crops or a two
year rotation with weed control cost of $25 to $30 per acre. Wheat is
not a GMO crop so weed control costs are quite high for each bushel of
wheat produced.
If GMO wheat is released the acres
dedicated to wheat will increase substantially. Low rainfall areas will
immediately drop summerfallow winter wheat type systems and proceed
immediately to No-till annual cropping of spring wheat in certain areas
of the country. GMO winter wheat may not be released because USDA-ARS
scientists are very close to offering perennial winter wheat. Perennial
winter wheat is the most moisture efficient crop for the high desert of
the western US. The National Corn Growers Association has voted against
GMO wheat since an oversupply of a cheaper cattle feed source could
drive down corn prices. GMO spring wheat is about two years from
release. It has been tested since 1995 under APHIS.
Never forget, "The number one reason
farmers farm the way they do is because of the weeds".
When Roundup Ready crops became
available in the mid-90's the field could be maintained and groomed with
Roundup rather than more expensive residual selective herbicides. It is
critical to maintain a strong weed control program in the seed corn
rotation for the winter wheat to be established correctly. No residual
herbicides can be present in the winter wheat soil seedbed since
residual herbicides hurt the winter survival of winter wheat. In fact
it has been observed that no selective herbicide application is required
in
this new winter wheat system if the proper weed control occurs in the
soybean and seed corn crop.
Another reason why weed control is so
superior in this new system is the applied commercial fertilizer comes
only from the No-till/Ridge-Till seed corn production. The fertilizer
bands are no-till applied and always in ideal alignment with the seed
rows. The winter wheat plant traps the fertilizer and prevents weeds
from accessing the residual bands of placed fertilizer. This is
especially effective to improve winter wheat roots geometric access to
placed P and K.
This is a new method of raising winter
wheat in a strong and thrifty group of winter wheat seed rows. The seed
rows are directly over the residual placed fertilizer bands of NPK. This
method favors the winter wheat crop and hides the fertilizer from the
weeds. This time proven approach of Paired Row was introduced by
Yielder Drill in 1982. Paired Rows of winter wheat geometrically and
postionally aligned with deep bands of fertilizer are more effective in
raising winter wheat. This information is found in a published article,
"Feed the Wheat and Starve the Weeds" as reported by Glen Lorang of the
Farm Journal.
Weed control in the early harvested
seed corn is excellent. The male rows are normally mowed down after
tassel. Thus weeds can regenerate in 2 out of 12 rows. These weeds
must be controlled right up to harvest date. It is important to control
the weeds since a "Green Link" can occur. The "Green Link" is a bridge
or means of transfer for insects that harbor in the growing and
succulent green weed mass. The insects such as wheat mites, and aphids
begin to feed on the new winter wheat crop and implement wheat diseases
such as Leaf Streak Mosaic and BYDV.
If Roundup is applied immediately after
harvest to large weeds the die down of the large weeds will provide an
ideal environment for Rhizoctonia Bare Patch. Rhizoctonia will
proliferate from the decaying weed mass to the emerging winter wheat.
Rhizoctonia mycelium reach out about 8 inches from the decaying mass and
attach to the emerging wheat. It is highly important to control weeds
in the growing seed corn crop. The recommended practice for seeding
wheat is to wait three weeks after applying Roundup to large weeds to
avoid the Rhizoc problem. This is not a unique phenomena of the PNW
since Rhizoctonia has been observed throughout the corn belt.
Wheat in the
Rotation
Planted wheat acres of all classes have
continued to decline from 80 million acres in the mid 1980's to
60
million acres this year. CRP reductions of wheat land and the
technology or Roundup Ready Corn and Soybeans has allowed No-till
farming to be expanded on previous old fashioned summerfallow
winter wheat acres.
The farm program also tends to favor populated areas of the Midwest
which raise corn and soybeans. Wheat is considered a desert crop for
low population areas of west of the 100th meridian (Grand Island, NE).
Harvested winter wheat acres show the
biggest decline with only 30 million acres to be harvested this
year. Hard Red Winter Wheat is estimated at 20.7 million acres. The 30
million acres of harvested winter wheat is the smallest total acreage since 1917.
Hard Red Winter Wheat acreage abandonment is the second highest since
1950 in the Hard Red Winter Wheat Belt (Texas to South Dakota). This
year 28% of the Hard Red Winter Wheat crop was abandoned due to very
dry conditions.
World supply of wheat continues to
increase about 2.3% this year. Annual export market for US wheat was up
about 8% as of early May, 2002. This may be due to the falling dollar.
Wheat is a good rotation crop. Winter
wheat sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere. Winter wheat improves soil
tilth by storing carbon longer than such crops as soybeans and corn.
Wheat residues normally take longer to break down and release nutrients
including CO2. No agronomic or environmental disadvantages are known
when raising winter wheat in rotation with corn and soybeans.
Winter wheat is not a GMO crop. This
may be a major advantage to the seed corn producer since weed control is
so superior in the GMO beans and corn. No selective or residual
herbicide is required to raise the winter wheat in this rotation. Any
application of a selective herbicide will damage wheat to some degree.
This new system of farming uses less herbicide and harvests nitrate
which does reduce commercial fertilizer nitrogen use. CO2 recovery from
the atmosphere could double with this new system.
This new system of raising two crops in
one year has very unique advantage over typical winter wheat budget
scenarios. Winter wheat in the high rainfall PNW dryland production
area requires at least $35.00 per acre for commercial fertilizer.
Additional budget requirements for weed control and soil disease
fungicides increases costs another $30 to $45 per acre.
A Great Fall
Start
Winter wheat tillers twice, once in the
fall and again in the spring. Winter wheat will develop a deep root
system and harvest nitrate if the crop is established in best of
condition going into the winter. In fact winter wheat has the maximum
winter hardiness when only phosphate type fertilizer is used to harden
the plant. Phosphate causes the cell walls to thicken. Nitrogen causes
the cell wall to elongate and weaken. Nitrogen application is not
recommend for maximum winter survival This is one reason why winter
wheat can now be raised in Canada. Nitrogen is applied in the spring
rather than the fall.
Winter wheat should be seeded as
shallow as possible under center pivot production. The seed should be
placed at 1/2" and no deeper than 1". This allows quick emergence and a
more extensive root system going into the winter. Winter wheat can be
seeded too early. Optimum seeding dates vary based on elevation,
daytime soil temperatures, and insects.
Seed corn producers in Nebraska have
very special advantages in producing top yielding winter wheat crops in
an intercrop relay. Center pivots provide a great fall start of winter
wheat which adds to the winter wheat yield and winter survival of the
crop.
Ridge Till
Favors Winter Wheat
 Click Images To Enlarge
It is a well know fact that ridges add
to winter survival and help the winter wheat plant take off in spring in
better condition following the dormant winter months. The ridges trap
snow and help to protect the winter wheat crop from the winter winds.
In fact special wheat drills are
sometimes used to plant winter wheat in deep furrows. The furrows allow
the winter wheat to propagate in a micro environment in consistent soil
moisture. Such drills as the John Deere HZ split packer drill were
developed specifically to seed winter wheat on wide 14", 16" and even
18" spacings. The deep furrow drills would often pay the entire
investment back in the first crop.
Standing corn stubble improves the snow
trap effect and lowers surface wind velocity. A No-tillage system using
Ridge Till allows high yielding winter wheat varieties to be used.
Roll the Dice
Three Times
Winter Wheat can winter kill as it
breaks dormancy in the spring. A resurgence of cold winter winds in
March can desiccate the thrifty plant. Most winter wheat is lost in the
month of March. PNW winter wheat producers will loose the winter wheat
stand about once every 20 years. Very few No-till farmers lose winter
wheat entirely due to the better condition of the crop. No-till fields
are warmer going into the winter and remain cooler coming out of the
winter. This means winter wheat is more protected from the harsh winter
winds.
No-till winter wheat also breaks
dormancy later. This can be a major advantage with high yielding
irrigated wheat in Nebraska. In fact volunteer spring wheat will
survive through the winter in standing No-till spring wheat stubble that
has been seeded to winter wheat. Volunteer spring wheat adds to the
yield of the dedicated winter wheat crop with no mixing of classes.
The second dice roll,..... Spring
Wheat. No-till producers will immediately respond to winter kill by
No-till seeding spring wheat into exposed winter kill areas of the
field. No-till farmers immediately purchase spring wheat seed and
selectively seed into the exposed winter kill areas. Nebraska producers
can do the same. Dark northern spring wheat can be seeded to patch out
the field or used to reseed the entire pivot. If the Dark Northern
Spring Wheat is seeded at the end of March it will mature in 90 days.
So the maturity can be aligned for the relay timing event and the early
July harvest.
The third dice roll, occurs when
soybeans are relay intercropped into the maturing spring wheat.
Winter wheat in this new system is a
very low risk crop since the input risk is so low. Approximately $40
per acre is at risk going into the winter with this new system. PNW
winter wheat producers risk about twice as much per acre going into the
winter.
Something is
Green and Growing
This new system has
something "Green and Growing" 11.5 months out of the year. Winter wheat
is the new crop used in rotation following corn. This new system
matches mother nature's system and may even provide more CO2 sequester
than what mother nature could provide naturally.
The producer must have correct:
1. machinery, 2. low cost water, 3.
wheat and soybean varieties, and 4. timing combined with wheat culture
management skills. We would anticipate that UNL will produce a NebGuide
on this new system.
The new system is a
nitrate harvester using a unique crop relay period in early June. The
winter wheat is seeded as soon as the seed corn is off (September 20 th).
The soybeans are planted into the maturing winter wheat (30 days to
maturity) just after the wheat flowering period. The soybean planting
period between the wheat rows is around June 4 th with winter wheat
harvest starting July 4 th. The critical relay period appears to be
about 30 days before the winter wheat harvest so the soybeans do not
spindle and over elongate.
The soybean seed bed
is 18" to 20" in width on top of the ridge. Winter wheat is seeded in
10" to 12" wide paired rows. Early seeded winter wheat will not
compromise yield if seeded early in this system with superior weed
control. Weed control is the key. USDA-ARS scientist's Papendick,
Cook, and Nelson have determined that no yield compromise is observed at
24" wide rows of winter wheat. Row widths of 28" and 36" have been
observed and tested with a yield loss of about 3% to 5% at several
locations in the PNW.
The critical criteria
to top winter wheat yields is a guaranteed early fall start with
superior weed control. Mort Swanson produced field wide averages of 145
bushel per acre using a No-till Yielder placement drill on 15" seed row
spacing. Weed control was superior since Mort Swanson was a commercial
applicator with exceptional weed control skills. In general it can be
stated that 2 out of 3 seed rows in winter wheat production are used for
weed control. The winter annual morphology of winter wheat's extensive
and deep root system assures nitrate harvesting. Winter wheat root
systems are often found at 9 foot depths in the PNW dryland scenario.
Three Levels
of Production Have Been Selected Based On Risk and Reward.
Level 1 results in 65
bushel per acre low risk, low management, yield goal at $1.11 per bushel
produced.
Level 2 results in
100 bushel per acre medium risk, high management, yield goal at $1.28
per bushel produced.
Level 3 results in a 150 bushel per
acre higher risk, intensive wheat management, yield goal at a $1.56 per
bushel produced.
The regional price for the 13% protein
Hard Red Winter Wheat is expected to vary between $2.75 per bushel to
$4.25 over the next ten years. The Portland export price for 13%
protein Hard Red Winter Wheat August 2, 2002 is $4.62 per bushel.
Central Nebraska producers can expect $1.00 per bushel in freight
expense to export high quality Hard Red Winter Wheat to the Pacific
coast ports. So internal domestic use shipped to flour mills is expected
to be the major market.
Gross returns could be as high as $600
per acre and as low as $178 per acre. As of July 2002 the level 1
approach produced 65 bushel per acre of high quality winter wheat at
12.7% protein at 61.1 test weight on the first test center pivot. The
net returns combined to the landlord and the producer average out at
$150 per acre with a realized price of $3.60 per bushel. It would
appear that Nebraska producers would be the lowest cost producers of
HRWW in nation as this system continues to evolve.
Soft White Winter Wheat producers
normally have the lowest cost per bushel produced due
to the high yield
nature of dryland winter wheat in Walla Walla and Whitman counties of
Eastern Washington. But these producers are not always consistent since
natural rainfall is required.
Approximately 186 pounds of soil
nitrate was harvested in the Relay Intercrop. It is assumed that 100
pounds of nitrate was stored in the top six feet. With no commercial
nitrogen applied it is apparent that the wheat roots penetrated to a
depth of 9 to 10 feet. Further testing should reveal the actual root
depth of the winter wheat.
The carbon sequester from the
atmosphere is being calculated. The carbon sequester values are
expected to double with this rotation.
Moving to Level 2 in 2003......The goal
is to raise higher winter wheat yields to harvest more nitrate and to
sequester more carbon. Additional Phosphate may need to be applied.
Insecticide may be required. Additional water is required. Four
varieties designed for irrigated production will be selected. New
multipurpose seeding and fertilizing machinery is definitely required.
Although the cost per bushel will increase the net returns to the
landlord and the producer will increase to $220 per acre. A level 2
production program will be applied to four pivots using a Yielder NPK
1515 drill with a six shooter box delivery system.
Level 3 production has been reserved to
the 2004 production year. Due to higher risk this system requires
intensive wheat management skills, European wheat varieties, (may not
perform in Nebraska), and a purpose built fertilizer placement drill 30
feet in width having several other applications in Nebraska agriculture.
The highest recorded yield of US winter
wheat is 212 bushels per acre in the Columbia Basin of Eastern
Washington.
The Correct
Machinery
After considerable review and
discussion with UNL extension ag engineer Paul Jasa, USDA-ARS scientist
Jim Schepers, seed corn producer Paul Gangwish and ag engineer/machinery
developer, agronomist, and author Guy Swanson..... the following
machinery system has been selected to implement the highest level of
consistency, persistently, lowest risk and profit.
The row spacing selected is 30". The
planter width is 12 row, three point mount, with excellent clearance
vertically and horizontally to avoid wheat damage. The drill width is 30
feet with fertilizer placement capability. The drill must seed four
conjoined rows of winter wheat in relation to residual deep bands and
dual placed bands of NPK at time of seeding. Residue loads are expected
to be in the 10,000 lb. per acre range. Residue manipulation for seed
soil contact is a priority.
 POOR STAND QUALITY WAS PRODUCED BY IMPROPER NO-TILL DRILL SELECTION
Utilizing a Yielder
drill to improve stand quality
 
The total seeding array must add up
to 30" spacing at 30 feet in machine width. The internal wheat
array allows wheat to be propagated in a 10" to 12" wide width and
soybeans being propagated in a 18" to 20" width at the center and on top
of a standard or radical winter protection ridge.
 
Click on images to enlarge
The ridge effect must be maintained to
enhance winter survival in heavy corn residue. Better winter protection
means higher yields.
Insecticide capability is required for
the early fall start. Insecticide can be deleted after freezing nights
but some yield compromise can be expected due to later seedings.
The lowest possible winter wheat seed
rate will be utilized to promote fall tillering using high quality
certified wheat seed ($12 per bushel, certified, $18
per bushel, Hybrid). The seed metering system must
have a CV of 5% or less using an air delivery type system similar to Valmar or Gandy. Typical airseeder metering systems used in low yield
wheat production of the northern great plains and Canada are not
acceptable for high yield irrigated winter wheat production. Seed cost
must be reduced and stand establishment is too critical for the high CV
airseeders.
The opener and depth control is
critical in ridge till. Large diameter single disc openers that can
place two seed rows and deep band MAP, MAPS, and AS simultaneously have
been selected. The seed bed must be firmed. The seed depth control
must be maintained within 1/2" to 1" in heavy corn stubble residue.
The combine is
equipped with a dual tire spacing that allows the wheat to be harvested
with no damage to the emerging juvenile soybeans other than the field
lands. The combine must be equipped
with a chaff spreader capable of spreading wheat chaff 30 feet. The
chaff spreader is critical to control volunteer wheat in the soybeans.
The grain buggy (bankout wagon) and the
tractor hauling the grain away from the combine also matches the gauge
width required for the ridge till spacing of 30 inches. This spacing
matches the combines tires previous pass. So straight, on the mark
driving, of the bankout wagon is required to the field lands. This is
not unusual for Ridge Till producers. As yields approach 100 bushel per
acre the bankout wagon must be timed to the combine bulk tank capacity.
On the go bulk tank unloading is required. Excellent driver skills are
required to maintain controlled compaction and to
avoid soybean damage.
Adjustable
gauge width, narrow belted tractors (14" belts and narrow midwheels) are very
compatible with this new system. A Deere belted tractor was utilized in
the initial center pivot test. However, a wheel tractor would also
work. 12.4 x 54 Michelin tall tires and rims are available on a 90"
gauge width. Producer Steve Wiese of Claytonia, NE,
www.exactrix.com/kinze.htm, has
modified his Deere 7710, 135 horsepower tractor to the tall 12" narrow
tires for 120" gauge width sprayer operation using a 90 foot boom. The
tires have a 9600 pound load rating
Caterpillar
has announced the MT series tractors rated up to 285 horsepower with 14"
wide belts and narrow midwheels. The unique aspect of the Cat MT
tractor is the adjustable gauge width to 150" or even greater out to
165" if required (Hillside). Wide gauge width
is extremely desirable. Power delivered to ground in turning
and stability of the seeding platform is enhanced. The Cat MT has a
three point rating of 16,000 lbs. with a 55 gpm pressure compensated
hydraulic system.
If you have interest in wide gauge width tractors
you can review this subject at
http://www.exactrix.com/LargestApp.htm.
You can also contact your Caterpillar dealer
regarding the new MT series tractors. Wide gauge width is time proven,
very desirable.
If custom seeding drills and
applicators become available the only additional new major investment
should be grain bins to store and handle the various categories of high
quality milling wheat. This should not be a difficult hurdle for
Nebraska producers. Home storage of wheat has been proven to be good
government subsidized program over the last 20 years.
A Mortgage
Lifter.
Nebraska seed corn growers have a
unique scenario that comes by once in a lifetime for a producer. Why?
1. Two crops in one year. 2. Better use of the land. 3. Meet and
exceeds environmental requirements. 4. Minimum machinery investment.
5. Less financial pressure by rolling the dice three times in one year.
Land values should increase in this new
system. The paydown of debt should accelerate.
If you further questions about the progress of
this new system please e-mail Guy Swanson at
www.exactrix.com.
This htm will be updated following the soybean harvest.
Perennial crops such as alfalfa and clover have a taproot which is larger in diameter and usually have deeper rooting systems than corn. (From Jean and Weaver, 1924) Perennial and winter annual crops such as winter wheat and triticale have deep root systems that can harvest nitrate, carbon sequester and reach rooting depths of 10 feet. |
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ExactrixTM
Global Systems LLC 3310 East Trent Ave Spokane, WA 99202 (509) 535.9925 fax(509) 535.9989 email ExactrixTM here. Buy or rent the ExactrixTM Direct Injection System and get top support at a fraction of the cost of existing systems. |
