Blake Vander Vorst

Regional Agronomist, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

GPRO, Bismarck, ND

This presentation will discuss the benefits of winter wheat in a zero-till farming system and thoughts on risk management.

The following is a listing of some of the benefits of winter wheat in a zero-till farming system:

• Spreads the Workload – Seeding of winter wheat in the fall of the year allows a farmer to spread out the seeding, spraying and harvest workload.

• Spreads the Cost of Equipment – Because workload can be spread, it allows farmers to cover more acres with the same equipment or reduce the size of equipment needed to handle the same acreage. In other words, it can reduce the cost per acre of equipment.

• Residue Cover Required for Survival – Winter wheat requires zero-till or very minimum tillage seeding operations to assure adequate standing residues from the prior crop to catch snow for insulation from cold temperatures. Snow 3 to 6 inches deep can generally provide adequate insulation to keep soil temperatures at the winter wheat crown depth at a level that will avoid winter injury. The following table gives the Field Survival Index (FSI) of selected winter cereal cultivars and the minimum cultivar FSI required for undamaged winter cereal stands nine out of ten years in Saskatchewan. The higher the FSI, the greater its ability to survive winter stresses in the cultivar table.

• Reduced Cost of Production – A vigorous stand of winter wheat is very competitive with annual grassy weeds that emerge after the winter wheat resumes spring growth. A post-emergence grass herbicide is generally not required in a healthy stand of winter wheat. A broadleaf herbicide is often the only herbicide used in-crop in winter wheat and no spring burn down is used. The following direct costs from the North Dakota State University Extension Service Crop Budget bulletin for the North Central region demonstrates these savings.

Fungicides 1.50 0.00

Insecticides 0.00 0.00

Fertilizer 10.79 13.93

Crop Insurance 2.70 2.70

Fuel & Lubrication 5.56 5.73

Repairs 9.71 9.78

Miscellaneous 1.00 1.00

Operating Interest 1.65 1.31

Sum of Direct Costs $50.69 $40.23

• Seedbed Conditions Improved – Generally seedbed conditions are dryer in September than in April and May providing for better seed placement in a zero-till seedbed. Seedbed conditions can be excessively wet in the spring causing delayed seeding of a spring crop that generally diminishes economic returns. Sometimes fall seedbed conditions are too dry for good germination and may affect subsequent fall growth and winter survival.

• Moisture Recharge and Conservation – Winter wheat matures early providing for a longer summer-fall period of soil water recharge prior to the planting of the next crop. This can be very important for the following crop when it requires additional water such as corn, soybeans and sunflowers. It also provides a residue barrier to reduce soil water evaporation and increase water infiltration into the soil resulting in more efficient water use for crop production. Winter wheat and zero-till are two of the most compatible farming systems for reducing soil erosion and protecting water quality.

• Wildlife Benefits - Ducks Unlimited has documented the benefits of winter cereals in comparison to spring cereals for nesting success of ducks. The following table is an evaluation of Pintail use of fall-seeded cereal grains in 1998. Evaluation of Pintail Use of Fall-seeded Cereal Grains Fall Rye Spring Seeded Cereal Total nests found 191 30 Pintail nests 85 19 Nest density 1.1/10 ac. 0.2/10 ac. Mayfield nest success 18.1% 5.5%

• Yield and Economics – Farmers in North and South Dakota are indicating their average long-term yield advantage for winter wheat is between 5 and 20 bushels per acre over spring wheat despite losing a crop on an occasional basis. The table on the following page provides the average yield of the varieties of Hard Red Spring Wheat and Hard Red Winter Wheat grown at the respective NDSU Research Extension Centers variety trials for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001.

				1999	2000	2001	3 Year
							Average
	Langdon				Yield bu./acre
HRSW fallow				70.2	58.4	56.7	61.8
HRWW fallow				64.3	64.9	66.3	65.2
	Carrington
HRSW into durum(conv.)				43.5	38.9	39.5	40.6
HRWW no-till into oat				54.6	61.9	49.2	55.2
	Minot
HRSW no-till into durum				23.7	52.3	48.7	41.6
HRSW into fallow*				24.7	50.3	64.2	46.4
HRWW no-till into durum				71.1	77.8	55.0	70.0

* The average yield includes the same varieties as were in the HRSW no-till into durum trial.