Why are more producers growing winter wheat?
• Higher Yields—Yields 15-30% higher than spring-seeded wheat. Winter wheat varieties are available for milling, feed and ethanol markets. • Reduced Workload—Spreads the workload by allowing harvest to begin earlier and having a portion of seeding completed during the fall. • Efficient Use of Inputs—Out-competes spring germinating wild oats, reducing herbicide use most years. • Marketing Flexibility—Offers earlier marketing opportunities allowing growers to capture feed premiums prior to spring wheat harvest. • Crop Pest Avoidance—Avoids common wheat pests such as orange blossom wheat midge and wheat stem sawfly eliminating insecticide applications. • Disease Avoidance—Matures earlier escaping disease such as fusarium head blight. • Drought Risk Management—Takes advantage of snow melt moisture and a significantly advanced plant stand contributes to high water use efficiency. • Ag-Friendly Wildlife Habitats—Eliminates spring tillage that destroys most nests in annually cropped fields. D
