Prospects for 2024 wheat crop looking up, specialist says

After a disappointing 2023 wheat crop, prospects are looking up for this year’s harvest, according to a Kansas State University Extension specialist.

(Pictured above) Romulo Lollato, an associate professor of agronomy Extension wheat and forages production specialist, said timely moisture this winter has boosted his optimism. Lollato was a presenter for Kansas Wheat Rx, a partnership between Kansas Wheat and K-State Research and Extension. Seminars were March 7 in Dodge City and March 8 in Wichita.

Lollato said at the Dodge City stop that except for a region in the west-central belt around Hays, where moisture was more limited, the best prospective crop potential is in southwest and central Kansas. The crop should be able to withstand even a hard freeze that can occur in late March and frost in early April.

”For the most part we are in better shape that we have been at this point in the past three years,” he said.

Report on research

Lollato presented research from K-State and neighboring land-grant universities in Oklahoma and Colorado about crop rotations of corn, soybeans and grain sorghum. He also touched on grazing strategies.

One of the benefits of a wheat rotation is that the crop itself can help provide residue that helps retain subsoil moisture, he said. Corn, particularly, can shine in that rotation because although corn uses more water than other crops, the plant itself is efficient in processing it. One study showed that dryland corn had 15 bushels per acre of gain in yield following a wheat crop. Soybeans also showed promising results in central Kansas.

A wheat rotation can also provide a reduction in the density of soybean cyst nematode, a yield-robbing nemesis for soybean growers. Lollato said the residue helped to control weed pressure. It also is beneficial in a sorghum rotation.

Many dryland farmers in the semi-arid regions grow wheat and sorghum, he said.

“There are benefits to adding soybeans and corn as part of a rotation,” he said.

Wheat can also be beneficial for positive insect species. He likes what wheat can provide growers in the long term.

“Wheat demands less water and depletion,” he said, citing a report from North Dakota that the crop itself does not deplete subsoil moisture. “Water makes the difference on yields.”

Wheat actually takes more water than soybeans or sunflowers, Lollato said. The key for winter wheat is the timing. Because it is planted in the fall, there are opportunities to capture snow and rain during dormancy over the winter and rain in the spring. A difference-making rain in May can really boost yields, he said.

Residue management

One aspect of wheat that Lollato likes with wheat is that is with its canopy it can provide cover for the ground and that is one of the best strategies for combatting weeds. Wheat shades the ground and that reduces germination rates.

Fifty bushel per acre wheat will provide 5,000 pounds of straw that can cover the ground. Conversely, Palmer amaranth seeds can germinate after five days and that steals grain production. Lollato said there are several wheat varieties that may show lend itself to better protection but that research will need more study.

Part of wheat residue management requires growers to monitor stem height how low the combine header is when harvesting the crop, he said, noting that some wheat varieties have shorter stems.

Residue can provide lower evaporation losses and can capture winter snow and while it is less than corn and sorghum stalks, he said, every bit captured helps keep subsoil moisture in good shape.

He showed pictures where higher residue captured much more snow that when wheat was cut close to the ground. It does not capture as much snow as corn and sorghum residue but all makes a difference. He also notes that herbicide use can reduce weed pressure.

It serves as reminder that rotational planting can help reduce weed pressure and boosts water conservation.

He said carbon markets may offer wheat growers with an additional opportunity to add revenue.

“We have potential here,” he said. “Carbon retention is stable and carbon is returned to the soil.”

Studies are indicating the amount of carbon put into the soil is more than that the crop takes out. “That can lend itself to more conversations,” Lollato said.

Livestock production

Wheat is crop that is underrated for its grazing potential. Wheat has a high protein forage and when managed right, cattle can add 1.5 to 2.5 pounds a day in average daily gain, he said.

There is a trade-off for grazing, he said.

There is a small yield penalty as one study conducted in Marshall County in Oklahoma, showed about a 15% loss, or 6 bushels per acre loss in yield, but the tradeoff for a farmer and rancher was adding inexpensive feed to get good gain in cattle weight. It takes an earlier sowing rate with a higher seed rate and the practice is more attractive to the southern Plains region. Renting out wheat ground might be way for a grower to gain additional dollars particularly when the price per bushel is low.

Another benefit shown from one of his findings from Tribune in far western Kansas near the Colorado border where sorghum yields usually goes up after cattle grazed on wheat.

Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].