For the past four years on 12" row spacing the following crops have been produced. Wheat (HRS and Red Winter), Barley ( Two and Six Row), Oats, Fall Rye, Canola, Flax, Linola, and Peas.

The move to wider rows seemed logical in the no-till system. Thinking back to the adoption of the no-till system one of my reasons was to reduce tillage and disturbance. The early days provided few seeding options and the disk drill was the only choice. Although the disk drill provided relatively low disturbance, the inherent problem of uniform seed placement for the residues worked in necessitated the move to the hoe opener. Being pleased with the seed - soil contact with the hoe opener on 8" spacing and observing some early research trials which showed comparable yields on wider rows, the desire to reduce disturbance prompted the move to 12" rows.

After four years of wider rows we have developed a comfort level and a reluctance to look at narrower spacing. We feel that a 13" or 14" is probably feasible but our system will maintain the 12" for the immediate future. In moving to wider rows in small grains and oilseeds, consideration should be given to the whole system. That includes the rotation, variety selection, fertility methods, pesticides, harvesting (swathing vs. straight cut), aeration, available horsepower and field efficiency.

In the rotation considerations, one of the first observations was the enhanced trash clearance of wider rows. Seeding into damp pea stubble or winter wheat into chopped flax stubble was relatively easy. In other words, if an adequate straw and chaff spread at the combine was attained, fall or spring seeding difficulties were almost eliminated for any agronomic rotation making life easier.

With varieties, we tend to like those with stronger straw characteristics, in order to enhance the straight cut harvesting. If this is questionable, angle seeding will be utilized to accommodate a pull type swather.

Fertility requirements, ( source and application) in a one-pass system is one of the larger concerns. A liquid blend, dribble banded one and one half inches off the center line of the Atom Jet opener has a proven track record in longer term zero-till environments.

Pesticides and weed control are a large concern. It is our hope that we will see a consistent reduction in the necessity of a wild oat control in the cereal grains with wider rows. An observation in the timing of herbicide application would indicate that it is desirable to be on the later side of the window of opportunity than the early end, with the wider rows. Early indications suggest that plant and root disease's may be somewhat reduced in a wider row environment.

Harvesting is the deliberation time for the wide row results. To date , we have no concerns about the yields obtained with the system employed. While higher yields are appreciated more, our observations would suggest that factors other than the row spacing will impact on the final result. Straight cutting is the preferred harvesting strategy but comfort with this depends on having some drying or aeration capacity.

Efficiency of the production system was increased with wider rows. A forty two foot drill with 12' spacing is now pulled with the same horsepower as a twenty eight foot 8" spaced drill. A thirty percent increase in field efficiency produces lower costs for fuel, labor and prolongs the useful life expectancy of the tractor.

To seed three thousand acres requires one hundred and fifty hours of tractor time per year. The capital cost of wider row seeding equipment can be reduced by two hundred dollars per foot. In general, wider rows reduce the cost of production without compromising yield.

I believe that for the no-till system, wider rows will become the norm for small grains and oilseeds. I do not think that the concept offers similar advantages for the conventional or minimum till producer. From an environmental aspect, wider rows offer nesting waterfowl and songbirds increased opportunity for survival. With an increase in the volume of standing stubble, soil erosion from wind and water is eliminated. With less soil disturbance, soil organic matter increases at a higher rate with enhanced potential for higher carbon credits in the next decade of technical analysis.

In summary, wider rows work for me. I am amazed that we took so long to apply such logic.