LL- I’m curious where you’re land is as only a fairly small area of SEK grows soft wheat. We were 100% soft wheat for the last 2 years. Soft has considerably higher yield potential than hard but is usually worth less per bushel, requires more nitrogen to reach that higher potential, and has higher seed costs. Our yields were 75-80 this year and 80-90 last year.
Numerous factors can have dramatic effects on yield. Planting date is big, usually October is better than November, but too early can cause issues as well. Second would be rainfall. In this area, excess moisture often causes more problems for wheat than too little. It’s not all that uncommon for heavy rain between planting and emergence to reduce stand by either rotting the seed or crusting the ground so that less comes up. Then there is late winter/early spring weather that affects tillering, and April/May weather that can bring disease.
As to your final question, one thing that SEK is certainly not, is consistent. Next year the wheat could make 100 or 30. Soybeans can make 20-60 but probably less this year for us, especially the double crop beans. With decent weather without extremes, we raise 140-150 bushel corn but will be 40-50 this year. Again, we are often hurt as much or more by too much rain and cool temps early as we are hot and dry later on corn.
Yes I agree its been a bit of an education on the wild fluctuations of moisture we flirted with bank-full river this spring where one more good dump of rain would have wiped out my mature wheat if it went out of bank onto the flat. Then God tripped the switch and went full on drought that is just now easing a bit, but not much.
We got 79+ yields (on 200 acres) on the soft wheat. Lots of the ground was pushing 100 b/a but I have a lot of timbered edge that pulled down the average.
First time in recent history that it had been in wheat, we have only owned for a year and the farmer has farmed it for 3 years, so both of us are learning together. He asked if I was up for experimentation and gambling and I said YEP!
Now if I could just sell chiggers for a decent price, Id be rich!
One thing I find consistent and amusing is how everyone is a "negative nellie" telling me how I'll never have another good harvest again... Who knew farmers are so jaded??
On the 1/2 section next door (carbon copy of ours) the same farmer has corn this year, drought hit it right at tassel and it aint looking good. My place has never to anyone's knowledge been corn.
I'm keeping about 10 acres for personal playing, garden food plots, and fruit trees type stuff. The rest Ill leave to my farmers best judgement. I think I should grow onions, the wild ones do fantastic over the entire place!
Last year the wheat got planted late in early November but during my travels I saw none nicer than mine in the region all the way through till harvest, most was substantially worse, some was equal.
My agg experience is NE with corn oats and hay and this southern double cropping and drought and no rocks to pick is all new to me, quite fascinating really.
Oh and the deer are HUGE! Not that I'm keeping track.
Based on county data I think this year was a "very good" to "exceptional" year for my numbers. I need to dig through tax papers and see what last years beans brought, We closed right before harvest and it was a very hectic time and I was doing more important things than counting money... setting stands.
