"McGrew Brothers Farm" wrote in message
...

"Craig R." wrote in message
m...
(Brett) wrote in message
. com...
Greetings:

We have a farm in Northeast Illinois and have traditionally grown
soybeans and corn - alternating fields yearly. I have been
considering adding Winter Wheat as a second crop. I have heard mixed
feelings on this...some saying this would bring down the yield of the
traditional crops. Does anyone have any opinions or reference
material on this?

Thanks,

Brett

--------------------

We experimented aerial seeding wheat or rye in corn in September in SW
Iowa,
USA. We interseeded the soybeans in the live wheat the next spring. We
combined the wheat in the standing soybeans in July and combined the
soybeans later that fall. The years we tried this were not good wheat
years. I think that maybe it could have worked in the right year. In a
dry
year the wheat will hurt the soybean yields more.

If you had irrigation it would be a lot more likely to pay off. But I would
sure try it on a small scale before spending a lot of money or see how
someone else did it.

Irrigation in your part of the world is not very common and at $40,000 for
160 acre plus the cost of wells you need to have something that makes it pay
off. On my wife's place 40 miles east of the New Mexico border it is not to
difficult to justify if you have the water but in Iowa you have to look at
opportunity cost a lot more carefully. Is a irrigation system the best use
for that money. It takes a lot of $2.00 wheat to pay for it.

You would also have to look close at a long term rotation plan. One cropping
and herbicide program won't work forever. Something will screw it up sooner
or later. If the weeds don't get resistant a disease, nematodes or something
will mess things up.

How much do you have to pay for aerial seeding?
--
Gordon

Gordon Couger
Stillwater, OK
www.couger.com/gcouger