Snow and wheat yields

[AlbertaFarmer5]

This crop's fortune was mostly decided by snow cover, or lack thereof. Stubble height mattered most, followed by material type. Canola/Mustard>Cereals>Peas>Lentils. Anybody that pro-tilled outside edges of fields or weedy spots last fall didn't see crop emergence until July. Conventional summerfallow has a poorer crop on it than respectable cereal stubble, and certainly is poorer than canola/mustard stubble. Chemfallow on '21s VERY short stubble is worse than cereal stubble right beside it.

Guys with lentil stubble are taking a swing around rockpiles, as well as running up and down water runs... That's it!

That's interesting. Around here, canola stubble is by far the driest. Canola will keep sucking moisture out well into September, even beyond some years. And grows the most biomass of any annual crop we can grow.

When we toured the dry areas in the middle of july, I noticed the only green crops were lentils and flax. Is that because they are the most efficient at using water, or because they suck everything out long after other crops would have given up? Your post would indicate the latter.

[helmsdale]

That's interesting. Around here, canola stubble is by far the driest. Canola will keep sucking moisture out well into September, even beyond some years. And grows the most biomass of any annual crop we can grow.

When we toured the dry areas in the middle of july, I noticed the only green crops were lentils and flax. Is that because they are the most efficient at using water, or because they suck everything out long after other crops would have given up? Your post would indicate the latter.

Performance here generally relates to water use efficiency.

Lentils/Chickpeas>Peas>Mustard(has to get established)>CWRS>CWAD>flax>Barley(can look phenomenal at start but usually gets its ass handed to it as there's too much plant mass to support)>Canola

If there's subsoil moisture, Canola will certainly dig for it so long as it can get established. No matter the variety though Canola might draw past August moisture wise only 1 out of 5 years here. July and August usually scorch it! While straight cutting was a novelty to the more traditional canola growing areas, guys here have straight cut canola virtually since its inception. Only on the wettest of years was there ever enough biomass to swath and roll it into anything, so it was generally thought better to chance shelling out in a wind, than having it all blow away in a wind.

Canola on at least 3 out of 5 years will not outproduce cereals in the biomass department. 1 out of 5 it might be even, and that 1 out of 5 that the stars get semi inline, it'll choke your combine.

Typically every drop of rain that falls after about the 15th of August is either consumed by weeds, or held into next year. With no subsoil moisture crops are generally hand to mouth here. There's nothing to go looking for, so you have to use what is in that top 6" as efficiently as possible.

[furrowtickler]

Performance here generally relates to water use efficiency.

Lentils/Chickpeas>Peas>Mustard(has to get established)>CWRS>CWAD>flax>Barley(can look phenomenal at start but usually gets its ass handed to it as there's too much plant mass to support)>Canola

If there's subsoil moisture, Canola will certainly dig for it so long as it can get established. No matter the variety though Canola might draw past August moisture wise only 1 out of 5 years here. July and August usually scorch it! While straight cutting was a novelty to the more traditional canola growing areas, guys here have straight cut canola virtually since its inception. Only on the wettest of years was there ever enough biomass to swath and roll it into anything, so it was generally thought better to chance shelling out in a wind, than having it all blow away in a wind.

Canola on at least 3 out of 5 years will not outproduce cereals in the biomass department. 1 out of 5 it might be even, and that 1 out of 5 that the stars get semi inline, it'll choke your combine.

Typically every drop of rain that falls after about the 15th of August is either consumed by weeds, or held into next year. With no subsoil moisture crops are generally hand to mouth here. There's nothing to go looking for, so you have to use what is in that top 6" as efficiently as possible.

Excellent post

[TASFarms]

Tall stubble has more benefits than just snow catch. Keeps the wind off the soil at ground level,less evaporation, better microclimate. Keeps the sun off the soil, lower soil temps ,less evaporation and good for biology.

[furrowtickler]

Tall stubble has more benefits than just snow catch. Keeps the wind off the soil at ground level,less evaporation, better microclimate. Keeps the sun off the soil, lower soil temps ,less evaporation and good for biology.

If you have a good enough crop for tall stubble ….. there in lies the issue
North of hiway 16 , tall stubble can be a curse as well in wet , cold springs