Soft red winter wheat is important to the economics of Ohio's farm and food-related industries. Wheat is the most widely grown food crop in the state. Low prices and major production problems resulting from severe winters and certain diseases have limited the production of wheat on many grain farms.
University research trials and results from farmers' fields have shown many advantages for wheat in maintaining optimum yields in the other crops grown in a rotation, especially corn and soybeans. According to research at Michigan State University, including wheat in rotations can improve yields of other crops by 10% or more. Other "hidden" values of including wheat in the rotation include improved soil quality through addition of organic matter and improvement of ground-water quality by limiting nitrogen loss during winter and spring. Additionally, a corn-soybean-wheat rotation aids in weed control and helps reduce pathogen populations that attack those crops. Wheat is a significant partner in the rotation sequence to maintain farm productivity and sustainability.
Attempting to produce ultra high yields by using extra inputs is not profitable for most Ohio wheat producers. That is because the climate of Ohio limits maximum wheat productivity. Most years, Ohio's weather is too wet in May and June, resulting in serious disease and loss of yield. June is usually too hot and kills our crop well before it has time to reach its maximum yield potential. When we have one of those rare dry springs with low disease levels followed by a cool June, the yields of some fields have reached 120 bushels per acre or more. Because those good growing seasons are rare, we should manage for the more normal weather. It is the weather that usually prevents us from taking advantage of high management inputs such as high seeding rates and extra nitrogen.
The more prudent production system is one of defensive management planting after the fly-safe date to dodge diseases; holding seeding and nitrogen rates down to reduce disease and lower the cost of production; using resistant varieties instead of applying fungicides, etc. This management system will not produce the maximum possible yield in those really good years, but it will be the most profitable system for all those other years (the norm) when the weather is not ideal for maximum yields.
A research study was conducted at three locations in 1999 and 2000 to compare high and low levels of inputs to determine their effect on winter survival, tiller production, heads per acre, and yield. The high-management system included a seeding rate of 30 seeds per foot of row, 50 pounds of nitrogen fall-applied followed by 100 pounds in April, and the application of fungicide at various times. The low-management system used a seeding rate of 20 seeds per foot, 25 pounds of nitrogen in the fall, 75 pounds in the spring, and no fungicide. The high-management system cost $31.00 per acre more than the low-cost system but produced only 2.7 (89.2 vs. 91.9) more bushels of grain per acre. The extra seed and nitrogen alone raised cost by $16.00 per acre. Those studies and many other similar studies indicate that in Ohio, the key to wheat profits is good management and low production costs.
High yields and low cost of production are necessary for wheat to be a viable economic partner in the crop-rotation sequence. Increased profitability will only come from improved management. The guidelines presented here will help minimize the factors limiting wheat yields and also lower production costs. Additional specific information on wheat can be obtained at Ohio State University Extension offices or on the Ohio State University web site Ohioline at http://ohioline.osu.edu.