With the middle of September comes prime time for planting wheat.  Fond du Lac County ranks first in the state for the production of winter wheat, although county wheat acres don’t come close to those planted to corn, soybeans, or alfalfa.  Nevertheless, the importance of winter wheat to the region and to an individual farm should not be overlooked.  Wheat has a long history in Wisconsin and is largely responsible for developing Wisconsin’s dairy industry.

     During the mid-1800’s Wisconsin was THE wheat growing state in the nation.  In fact, one-sixth of all U.S. wheat was grown here.  Monoculture crop production eventually spells doom and such was the case with wheat in Wisconsin the 1800’s.  Soils became depleted of nitrogen, diseases overwintered and thrived in the crop, and cinch bugs effectively destroyed what little crop was left.  Around 1870, settlers from New York who had experience milking cows decided dairying might be a bit more profitable than 3 to 10 bushels of wheat per acre.  The Wisconsin dairy industry was born and still thrives.

     Fortunately, winter wheat didn’t totally exit the Wisconsin landscape, especially in east-central Wisconsin.  Recent markets have made wheat a very profit competitive crop and provides an outstanding third rotational crop in cash grain rotations.  Research continues to confirm that the addition of a third crop reduces insect, disease, and weed pressure in both the corn and soybean years of the rotation.

     The recipe for successful wheat production is relatively simple compared to that of higher input crops such as corn and soybeans.  Even so, the recommendations for growing wheat in Wisconsin continue to evolve.  Some important considerations for this fall’s planting season are as follows:

     Variety selection:  Unlike fifteen years ago, many private companies are developing wheat varieties.  This competition has resulted in rapid genetic advancement whereby growers no longer have to choose between yield potential and winterhardiness.  Time spent evaluating variety performance is easily rewarded.

     Soil fertility:  Wheat is a grass crop and that makes adequate nitrogen (N) critical for a high yielding crop.  Generally speaking, 60 to 80 pounds of N per acre is sufficient to meet crop needs.  Too much N can result in plant lodging and actually reduces yield.  Applying most of the N in the spring lowers the risk for nutrient loss over winter.  Applications of phosphorus and potassium are generally based on soil test levels. 

     Seeding date:  The optimum time to plant winter wheat is September 15 to October 1.  Planting in early September often increases the risk for Barley Yellow Dwarf virus, which is spread by insect feeding.  It also sets up a situation where too much growth is accumulated before winter.  Yield potential drops after early October.

     Seeding rate:  Seeding 1.2 to 1.4 million seeds per acre is currently recommended when plantings are done during the last half of September.  An optimum seeding depth is about 1-inch.  Rates need to be increased 5 to 10 percent per week as planting date creeps into mid or late October (as it too often does when wheat plantings follow a soybean harvest).  To determine the correct number of pounds per acre to seed, look for the number of seeds per pound on the seed bag tag and divide that number into the desired planting rate.  For example, 1.2 million seeds per acre divided by 12,000 seeds per pound equals 100 pounds per acre.

     Seed treatments:  Use a fungicide seed treatment to protect plants from fall seedling diseases associated with Fusarium and Pythium seedling rots.  Research trials show an average yield advantage of about 2.0 bushels per acre with the use of seed treatments.