Performance Tables
General Organic FAQOther Organic Winter Grains
When you seed winter grain in the fall you eliminate the uncertainty of timely spring seeding (especially on wetter ground). It also means more time in the spring to work on your other farming operations. You also provide excellent cover to prevent winter and spring soil erosion. Because the grain gets up and growing first thing in the spring, you also have the potential for an earlier harvest and higher yield potential. When harvested for forage, all the winter grains come off early enough that they can be followed with soybeans or a second forage crop such as a millet or a sorghum-sudan.
Winter Rye (Secale cereale)
(Also called Rye, Cereal Rye, or Grain Rye)
Winter rye is seeded in the fall and is the most winterhardy winter annual grain. It can be taken for grain but is frequently used in other ways. Our customers most often use it as a forage for chopping or baling in the spring or as a winter cover crop to prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and build soil organic matter (plowed down in the spring).
As a forage, winter rye is highly productive producing 2.5 – 4 tons of dry matter by late May. It is best to harvest it for forage before it heads out. Clear Lake, IA “I planted winter rye in October and chopped it on June 4. It yielded 8-10 tons/acre. I planted a 1.9 maturity soybean on that field as soon as I chopped the rye. They yielded 54 Bu./Acre. I’ve been doing that for 5 years now.”
Winter rye is seeded in the fall and can germinate down to 35 degrees Farenheit. Its winter hardiness is legendary. Stories such as this one are common: Riceville, IA “I no-tilled rye into corn stalks on Nov. 5th. It froze solid 3 days after I planted it. It came up good in the spring.” It is possible, but uncommon, for winter rye to winterkill. Do not seed rye more than 1.5 inches deep, as it is sensitive to seeding depth.
Decomposing winter rye trash can have an allelopathic effect on germinating weed (and crop) seeds. It seems to have the strongest effect on small grass seeds and weed seeds but we have had reports of negative effects on corn stands. In general, the more rye trash there is, the more it will inhibit the germination of seedlings. If the rye plant is taken off as forage, this will reduce the allelopathic effect. Soybeans follow winter rye extremely well. Most growers report excellent “clean” soybean stands following winter rye.
Description:
- Winter Rye (Secale cereale) is a winter cereal grain.
- Approximately19,900 seeds per pound
- 56 pounds per bushel
- Winter Rye can yield 30 - 60 bushels/acre
Management considerations:
- Winter rye can be grown for grain production, forage, or as a cover crop to help control soil erosion, build soil organic matter, and for weed control.
- It will germinate at temperatures as low as 34° F and grow at temperatures as low as 38° F, which allows it to be planted later in the fall than other winter grains. It is the most winter-hardy of all winter grains.
- It is often planted with hairy vetch to increase soil organic matter and soil N.
- Winter rye contains allelopathic compounds which can inhibit the germination and growth of small seeds, which assists in weed control but may limit some crop rotation choices.
- We have reports of poor corn stands following winter rye.
- Winter rye does best on well-drained loamy soils but can handle heavy clay and sandy soils. Optimum soil pH is 5.0 to 7.0 but can tolerate 4.5 to 8.0.
Optimum Planting Dates:
- Winter rye can be planted from late summer to late fall depending on the use of the crop.
- When grown for grain optimum dates for seeding winter rye in Minnesota are:
Location |
Date |
Southern MN |
September 5 – 30 |
Northern MN |
August 15 – September 10 |
- When grown as a winter cover crop, winter rye can be planted well into October. When planting for fall forage, plant two to eight weeks earlier than if planting for grain to maximize growth or when sowing with hairy vetch to allow vetch time to become established.
- Winter rye can also be planted in the spring as a companion crop or early forage, but will not produce grain due to the lack of vernalization. It will also be less vigorous and not grow as tall.
Seeding Recommendations:
- 56 – 112 lbs. (1 to 2 bu.) per acre depending on the use of the crop and if you plan to interseed another crop with it. Use higher rates for grain production and lower rates for cover crop. Plant one bushel of rye with 20 to 30 pounds of hairy vetch per acre.
- Drill about 1 inch deep, depending on soil moisture and soil texture. Avoid seeding deeper than 1½ inches. A grain drill with press wheels is the best because it places the seed at a uniform depth and gives good soil-seed contact. Broadcasting wastes seed and often results in uneven stands. Increase rates to 1.5 to 3 bushels per acre if broadcasting.
Fertilization
(Please contact your fertilizer professional for your specific needs):
- Winter rye will respond to modest applications of N but has a good ability to scavenge N from the soil. When planted following crops that were well fertilized with N, it seldom needs additional fertilizer.
- Medium levels of P and K are generally adequate for winter rye.
Weed and Disease Control
- Because of its fast growth and allelopathic effect, winter rye is very competitive against weeds. However, rye can become a volunteer weed if it is tilled before it reaches eight inches in height or after it sets seed.
- Using crop rotation, resistant varieties, and other cultural methods will minimize the impact of rust, stem smut, and anthracnose.
Winter Rye: A Reliable Cover Crop
Winter Triticale (Triticale hexaploide)
Winter Triticale is a cross between winter wheat and winter rye. It is seeded in the fall and is harvested the next spring or summer as a forage or grain. It is less winterhardy than winter rye and should be seeded early enough in the fall to get some growth. Plant in the same range of dates you would plant winter wheat.
As a forage, winter triticale can produce as much or more tonnage as Winter Rye but is leafier, more palatable to livestock, and often higher in protein. When taking winter triticale for forage, the optimum harvest window is when the plant is in the boot stage, before it heads out. Yield will normally be between 3-4 Tons of dry matter per acre.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/triticale.html
As a grain, winter triticale can make a very high-yielding, good quality feed. Iowa State did some excellent studies showing winter triticale grain to be an effective substitute for corn. If this link does not work just google: iowa state triticale
However, winter triticale is prone to ergot, just like spring triticale. Ergot is a fungal disease that infects small grain heads and when grain is heavily ergotized, it can cause animal health problems. Iowa State did quite a bit of work on Triticale and they screened the Winter Triticale varieties for their susceptibility to ergot, as well as yield. The variety NE426GT not only showed the lowest susceptibility to ergot, it was also among the highest yielding. Our grower in Iowa has never gotten less than 80 Bu./acre (except in the winter of 2008-09, when it winterkilled).
Story Button: Dundee, IA “I like Winter Triticale for chopping better than Rye. It has more leaf and so better quality. The cattle like the stem too. I drill 120 lb. into alfalfa after the third cutting around the first week of October. In the spring I take it off the last week of May and either continue alfalfa or put in corn silage. It will equal alfalfa in protein if taken on time. I’ve had it test 24% protein. One year I didn’t get it cut on time and it headed out. I rolled it up for bedding and the cattle still ate it. I’ve gotten as much as 13 x 1500 lb. bales an acre.
Description:
- Triticale (pronounced: trit-ah-kay-lee) (Triticale hexaploide Lart.) is a hybrid cereal grain produced when durum wheat is pollinated with rye pollen.
- Approximately 11,500 to 13,000 seeds per pound
- No official bushel weight exists for triticale. 52 - 56 pounds per bushel is generally used.
- Triticale can yield 30 - 80 bushels/acre.
Management considerations:
- Triticale yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance (except ergot) are typically greater than wheat.
- Triticale is generally superior to wheat for pasture, silage, hay, and for grain used for feed.
- In general, triticale has superior drought resistance compared to barley, wheat, and oats.
- Triticale may have some allelopathic effect which can inhibit the germination and growth of small seeds but effect is not as high as winter rye.
- Triticale does not possess the grain traits of wheat so its greatest market potential is as animal feed either forage or grain.
- Winter triticale is as winter hardy as winter wheat but less than winter rye.
- When winter triticale is spring-seeded, vernalization will not occur so plants will remain vegetative (will not produce seed) and can be used for grazing.
- Winter triticale matures about five days later than winter wheat and about two weeks later than fall rye under similar growing conditions.
- Select fields with good drainage, sandy loam to heavy clay soil textures. Avoid fields that had cereal crops and forage grasses in the previous year to reduce risk of disease.
Optimum Planting Dates:
- Spring triticale should be planted as early as practical.
- Winter triticale should be planted in the fall on dates similar to winter wheat but even more care should be taken to leave surface residue to catch snow.
- Optimum dates for direct seeding winter triticale in Minnesota:
Location |
Date |
South of I-90 |
September 20 – October 10 |
Seeding Recommendations:
- Prepare the seedbed similarly to that for oats, barley, or wheat.
- Triticale should be seeded using a standard grain drill about ½ to 1½ inch deep.
- Plant about 100 – 120 pounds per acre. Use lower rate for grain production and higher rate for forage. Triticale does not tiller as much as wheat.
- Set grain drill 10 - 20 percent greater than for wheat as the seed is bigger and lighter in weight.
Fertilization:
(Please contact your fertilizer professional for your specific needs)
- Basic agronomic practices are similar for winter wheat, winter triticale and fall rye.
- Fertilizer applications should be based on soil tests.
- Ensure adequate levels of phosphate (40 lb/acre) and potash (80 lb/acre) are applied in the fall.
- Nitrogen should be applied 1/3 fall and 2/3 spring providing a minimum of 100 pounds/acre of actual N for best forage production and highest protein levels.
Weed and Disease Control:
- Select fields with low weed seed density if possible. Plant early in a well prepared seed bed for rapid germination.
- Seeding early results in a more competitive stand establishment and provides a jump-start on the weeds.
- Triticale is slightly more susceptible to ergot than wheat. Use crop rotation and tillage to reduce incidence.
- Bromoxynil (Buctril) is registered for broadleaf weed control in triticale. No herbicides are registered for grass weed control, so the crop needs to be planted on relatively weed-free fields. Triticale grows slower than wheat in the spring and grassy weeds could be a problem.
Harvest Considerations:
- Optimum harvest stage for forage is when the plant is at the flag leaf or boot stage before head emergence. Protein content at this stage will vary between 14 – 19%. Generally, forage yields and palatability will be higher than for either wheat or rye.
- Triticale grain generally matures later than wheat or rye and has a higher protein content which makes it a good home-grown feed option. Attention must be paid to ensure that ergot levels are less than 0.1%. Newer varieties have fewer ergot problems. Combining standing grain rather than swathing first is advisable because triticale is more susceptible to sprouting in the swath than wheat.
- In high fertility situations, lodging can occur. Under such conditions, plan to harvest early.
Triticale: A viable alternative for Iowa grain producers and livestock feeders?
Planting Date Effects on Winter Triticale Grain and Forage Yield
Alternative Field Crops Manual
Triticale Production Manual – Government of Alberta
Winter Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Winter Barley is a new species to us. It is commonly used in Pennsylvania and many other states as a fall-planted grain species for animal feed. Like all fall-planted grain it has many advantages over spring-planted grain (see above). But, like the other fall-planted grains, it is susceptible to winter-kill. Our grower in Wisconsin has had excellent yields (125 Bu./acre in 2009) for 3 years and no winter kill. Some researchers at the University of Minnesota believe that without snow cover it is likely to winterkill in Minnesota. We cannot guarantee that it will be winterhardy and we recommend trying it in a small way before planting the farm to winter barley. In southern MN we recommend seeding it by September 15 to get plenty of growth on it before freeze-up.
Description:
- Winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a fall-planted, annual cereal grain used primarily as livestock forage or feed grain.
- Approx. 14,300 seeds per pound, 48 pounds per bushel
- Winter barley can yield 45 – 100 bushels per acre in Minnesota. It has produced 125 bu/acre in Wisconsin.
Management considerations:
- Avoid planting barley on fields with lots of corn trash. Corn trash carries the Fusarium fungus, which can cause FHB in barley.
- Avoid fields with a large population of weeds, especially wild oats and Canada thistle.
- Avoid fields with residual grass herbicides.
- Well-drained, fertile soils are essential for producing good quality barley.
- Winter barley is planted earlier than winter wheat and can provide a source of early fall pasturing and generally provides more fall pasture than wheat or rye.
- If looking for forage, consider winter triticale for greater production.
Needs a snow cover to reduce chance of winter kill.
Optimum Planting Dates:
- Winter barley is not as winter-hardy as winter wheat so you should seed it slightly earlier than wheat.
- Winter barley should be planted by September 15 in Minnesota.
Seeding Recommendations:
- Plant about 96 lbs. (about 2 bushels) per acre.
- Prepare a firm seedbed for good germination and seedling development. Dry, loose soil makes for an unsatisfactory seedbed.
- Drill about 1 to 1½ inches deep, depending on soil moisture and soil texture. A grain drill with press wheels is the best because it places the seed at a uniform depth and gives good soil-seed contact. Seed placed deeper than two inches may result in reduced emergence and reduced yields.
Fertilization:
(Consider a soil test and please contact your fertilizer professional for your specific needs):
- Barley has fertility requirements similar to those of wheat.
- Nitrogen: Apply a maximum of 80 pounds of nitrogen per acre and try to apply one-half of that in the fall.
- Too much nitrogen increases the possibility of lodging and encourages too much fall growth which increases the likelihood of winter injury and reduces winter survival.
- Phosphate: Phosphorus is important in developing good early root growth and should enhance winter survival.
- Potassium: No potash (either banded or broadcast) is suggested when the soil test for K is 161 PPM or higher. Potash that is broadcast should be incorporated before seeding.
Weed and Disease Control:
(This is not intended as a recommendation or endorsement of any specific product but as a list of possible controls. Please contact your chemical professional for your specific needs and always read and follow label directions):
- Grass and Broadleaf Control: Consult with your chemical specialist for approved herbicides and proper application rates and timing.
- It may be possible to spot treat areas in the field rather than the entire field.
- Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and its associated toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), can be a problem in barley (especially in fields previously in corn).
- Use only high-quality seed, preferably certified seed of adapted varieties that have been properly treated with an approved seed-treatment fungicide.
- Follow at least a two-year rotation with crops other than small grains.
- Use varieties resistant to the foliar diseases.
- Control insects that may serve as vectors and time planting and harvest to reduce hazards from insects.
- When the weather conditions favor foliar diseases, the use of foliar fungicides may be justified.
- Check with your chemical advisor for rates and timing of approved fungicides. A second application may be needed in wet years.
Winter Kill
- Winter barley is less winter hardy than winter wheat so some winter kill should be expected in Minnesota. Wait until the plants break dormancy and fields begin to green up before making any decision on replanting.
Harvest Considerations:
- Barley usually matures about one to two weeks before wheat.
- If harvesting as forage, cut in boot stage for maximum quality.