Is it really worth growing wht?

[GDR]

Just curious on Wakopa's comment on soil test vs applied n. I try to soil test fields in about a 4 yr rotation just to keep an eye on things. Their suggested nitrogen is always super high to what our conditions can handle. I try to push what I can but their rates are usually 40 to 50lbs higher than our straw can handle. We use 95lbs on cps.

Do others feel they can go by the recommendations or that the blend for yield they show is fairly accurate?

I think high OM and lots of moisture here is what screws that up.

Interesting that to me wheat is our best money maker and for a bunch of you its not great. We are fairly limited in options though pretty much just wht/cnl/bly

[wakopa]

in 2012 i only put on 56 lbs of n and got a good crop. 13 bu an acre higher than area average if that means anything.

[farmaholic]

Here in the slum of the Ghetto, putting that much fert down all at once(even midrow banding) is too much if the growing conditions go to shit. Would have to follow furrow's model to make sense of those rates.
#1. Fert isn't free...it may be reasonable compared to some past prices but....
#2. Weather is too variable here....can go either way...wet or too dry.
#3. If its too dry you end up with protein levels so high the top end gets stolen from us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4. Those rates must be near the peak of the "point of diminishing returns".
#5. I'm a cheap bastard....lol

[westernvicki]

My CWRS checklist is: Standability and Protein, and low to no fuz seed. If the field goes down you always sacrifice yield, quality and time. .Since we have grown Stettler we have never had a field that lodged, while many local fields looked like mixmaster and/or a press wheel went through our fields have stood and yielded well. And we have always sold high protein and good grades, this year it has paid off. This year, we grew both Brandon and Stettler. Stettler has performed excellent for us for years, this year Brandon equally good. So we are impressed.

[MBgrower]

135 N is common pratice in s. Mb. If your wheat isnt leaning at harvest then you screwed up.

[farmaholic]

Western Canada is a vast area. Various soils and weather, everyone has their own recipe for what works in their area.

It would be nice to hear a response to the thread question from our organic AVers. Does wheat pay for them?

(no sarcasm allowed hobby)

[farmaholic]

Consistent 60-70's is alot better than hopefully 45 bu/ac.

Then who has the balls to (like tweety said in a different thread) sell what you don't know you will have quality-wise. A neighbor here did a durum contract.....not a happy ending!

[furrowtickler]

We start off with 65 ish with the seed then go from there depending on weather and crop conditions . If we start with more than 75 all we grow is straw.

[farmaholic]

You got to wonder if putting the bulk of the N about 4.5 inches away from the seed row in a midrow band(ten inch shank spacing) is beneficial to the crop not getting it all at once right there right now. I firmly believe that if there isn't a minimum amount of N in the seed row as starter fert the crop kinda suffers before the roots reach the band. I don't think it as bad as some would like to make it out to be but....

[nibs1]

Wheat pays the bills on this organic farm, i use a clover plow down rotation, it has a 14.5 protein no fuzz at all, falling #380. But then again have no new machinery bills, just older good equipment.