How winter wheat can boost returns from soybean and corn

Winter wheat was a forgotten crop for Denny Kees.

"I raised wheat in the 1980s, but my best yields were only 70 bushels [per acre]," says Kees, of Harlan, Indiana. "It was not profitable."

Fast-forward to 2021. Kees again grows winter wheat as a way to boost returns from his soybeans and corn.

In September 2020, he planted twin-row wheat in 30-inch rows on 300 acres as part of an intercropping experiment. This configuration consisted of two rows in a 7.5-inch strip flanked by a space 22.5 inches wide. In mid-May, Kees planted soybeans in the middle of the wheat spacings in 30-inch rows.

Soybeans still remain the focal point in this system for Kees. Wheat's role is to supplement corn and soybean income and to build up soil organic matter.

"We tried a concept of interseeding in the late 1970s and early 1980s with limited success, but we now have more tools with GPS [global positioning system], soybeans traits, specialized equipment, and more chemical choices," he says.

Revamped Rotation

Kees typically splits 1,800 acres equally between corn and soybeans. Maintaining this rotation, though, would likely require him to add another bin to his grain-handling system. Long-term, Kees would like to revamp his rotation to:

• 600 acres of corn
• 600 acres of soybeans followed by winter wheat
• 600 acres of winter wheat interseeded by an additional 600 acres of soybeans the following spring

"Those are 2,400 harvested acres off 1,800 acres," he says. "It would still fit my grain-handling system because the volume of wheat is much less than the volume of corn. I also harvest wheat in July. By the time we get into fall harvest in September, those bins will be empty again. Getting dual purpose out of existing bins would save me the $100,000 I'd need to build a new bin."

Kees' agronomist, Greg Kneubuhler, is assisting him in the transition. "Every time I had questions, we'd brainstorm, and he also helped me during planting," says Kees. "People ask me, 'Why did you try it on 300 acres? Why didn't you try it first on just a couple of acres?' You need volume to do this. I couldn't afford to have a dedicated planter just for a couple acres."

Dealing With Details

Kees spent hours trying to determine the system's optimal row spacings before selecting twin 30-inch spacings for wheat.

"Finding a planter for the 30-inch bean spacings was difficult because split-row planters that plant in 15-inch rows have corn units on 30-inch spacings opposite of the wheel spaces," he says. Had Kees used a conventional planter, both tractor and planter wheels would have stomped the wheat.

Kees instead bought a used Great Plains YP1625A-3115 planter. He removed its 16 corn rows, which left only the 15 bean rows on 30-inch spacings which he used to plant into tractor tracks. By removing every other row unit, the planter could pass over the twin-row wheat and plant soybeans in 30-inch rows between the wheat twin rows.

"We experimented with a lot of attachments, but at the end of the day, we added no coulters or trash whippers," he says. "The factory closing wheels worked as well as anything. It's not a high-dollar planter, and its [value is] recoupable in case this doesn't fly," he says, "and we still use the same tractor and my other Great Plains YP2425-48TR planter across the rest of the farm."

Wheat Planting

Kees planted his winter wheat in late September, leaving row spaces for soybeans to be interseeded the following spring.

Kees used chicken litter before seeding the wheat in 2020, but found the spread pattern caused wheat to lodge. This year, he switched to using an AirMax spreader to deliver fall fertilizer more evenly. This mitigated lodging and applied fertilizer per prescription rates determined by soil tests for both wheat and soybeans. He applied Sharpen (Group 14) and glyphosate (Group 9) before planting winter wheat.

Kees planted around 1.2 million seeds per acre, about 70% of the normal 1.7 million seeds per acre.

"We're only covering about 50% of the wheat square footage we normally do, so we adjusted seeding rates accordingly," he says.

In spring, Kees top-dressed 28% nitrogen in early April and later made two separate wheat fungicide applications. He harvested in early July, cutting the wheat at about the same height as the soybeans. He equipped his wheat head with shields derived from aluminum signs to avoid damaging soybeans. Rigorous straw chopping while combining wheat stops straw from piling on soybeans.

By itself, winter wheat normally yields 100 to 110 bushels per acre (bpa) in his area. "We thought we were not going to get full yield because the wheat and soybeans are growing at the same time," he says.

However, perfect 2021 growing conditions spurred interseeded wheat yields to approximately 100 bpa.

"We had an exceptional wheat growing season," he says.

Soybeans

Interseeded soybeans posed more challenges. Kees planted two varieties ranging in maturities between Group 3.2 and Group 3.6 in mid-May at a seeding rate of 160,000 plants per acre.

"We planted the fuller season beans because they have more yield potential," he says. These carried the Enlist E3 trait that confers tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate (Group 10), and 2,4-D choline (Group 4). He applied a herbicide mix after wheat harvest, along with a fungicide application.

The biggest surprise he encountered was wheat canopying in May that created wet and sticky soils in which to plant soybeans.

"Fortunately, plentiful subsequent rains bailed us out," Kees says. "Had I to do it over again, I would have either planted before wheat canopied or waited until it dried out to plant."

Yields of intercropped soybeans ranged between 47 and 52 bpa, below the 61 to 87 bpa soybean yields achieved on the rest of his farm. Wheat lodging spurred lower interseeded yields, he says.

"Had it not lodged on the field that yielded 47 bushels per acre, yields would have easily been in the mid-50s," he says.

"We made adjustments in our fertility practices and seeding rates to mitigate wheat lodging in the future," Kees adds. "We also learned to cut wheat stubble shorter so soybeans can obtain more sunlight and air."

Fun Experiment

This was a fun experiment," says Kees. "You can get two crops in one season at a low cost."

Still, weather looms as a large challenge. This fall's weather trimmed his winter wheat planting to 100 acres, down from his intended 300 acres.

"I don't expect this to work 10 out of 10 years," he adds. "If it works eight out of 10 years, though, I'll consider it a huge success. If we can't plant wheat in the fall, I can still plant soybeans the next spring."