Small Grains News: Preparing for small grains harvest + Attend our next shared learning call on cover crops following small grains!

Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.

As small grains harvest nears, west-central Illinois farmer Steve Hamman shares his thoughts on the season and his plans for harvest.

Last fall he seeded winter wheat and cereal rye. Even with the cold, damp spring, he is expecting both small grains to be ready on time, although his crops appear shorter in stature than normal.

“I’m guessing that they will be ready the first week or two of July, which is my normal harvest window,” says Steve.

Ready for harvest? Aside from keeping his ear to the ground with the local elevator, Steve prepares for harvest by inspecting the seed heads, checking moisture levels and testing what comes through his combine. “Take a grain head and thresh in your palm. If the berries are firm then they are ready to harvest,” advises Steve. For moisture, Steve expects both rye and winter wheat to be below 13% moisture before he harvest.

Harvest time: Steve prefers to direct-cut his small grains and leave his straw on the field for nutrient and organic matter retention. He plans to use his long-trusted New Holland TR99, and suggests with any combine to begin with the owners manual settings and fine tune from there by checking the grain tank and watching what is coming out of the back.

PROGRAM UPDATES

New blog online: "Elements of Alfalfa Establishment: Methods for Success With Small Grains in the Mix"

On our June small grains shared learning call, we heard from Jason Russell as he shared his knowledge on the intricacies of alfalfa establishment, including seeding practices with small grains for the spring and fall.

Read how Jason establishes resilient alfalfa fields in the recap blog from the call.

Join us July 8 to talk summer cover crops following small grains

Friday, July 8 | Noon - 1 p.m. CDT | Online

Noah Wendt and Caleb Akin operate A&W farms near Cambridge, Iowa.

Tune in to the July small grains shared learning call to hear from Noah and Caleb as they share their experiences seeding summer cover crop mixes after small grains harvest.

They will discuss benefits of diverse mixes, grazing summer cover crops and more.

IN THE FIELD

Maintaining small grain harvest quality with the equipment you have

Revisit this 2018 blog to refresh on small grains harvest equipment from featured farmer Earl Canfield of Dunkerton, Iowa.

Earl shared his answers to frequently asked small grains harvest questions, his choice of small grain harvest equipment, post-harvest storage, harvest tips and more.

Small-grain harvest and post-harvest handling

Watch this “Live From the Farm” from summer of 2021 featuring Roger Wilcox.

Roger discussed combine settings and the conditions he looks for to harvest cereal rye and oats. Post-harvest handling, such as seed cleaning and storage of small grains were also featured at this “Live From the Farm.”

How do PFI farmers prefer to harvest small grains?

Harvesting Small Grains: Direct Cut or Swath?

PFI’s Rotationally Raised shorts video series from 2018 compares small grains harvest methods: to direct cut or swath.

Watch to see when these methods are warranted and the pros and cons for each.

Additional resources:

Blog: “Small Grains Equipment Essentials”
Blog: "Small Grains Combine Clinic"
Video series: Rotationally Raised- "Small Grains Harvest"
Video series: Rotationally Raised- "Post-Harvest Handling"

UPCOMING EVENTS

Field day: "Oat Production: From Variety Selection and Seeding to Baling and Cleaning"

July 7 | 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Palo, IA

Join Dan & Susan Voss and Brian Voss & Nicole Hepker on their farm outside of Atkins, Iowa, to see and hear about cover crops, working oats into an extended rotation and more.

The Vosses will lead guests on a tour of an oat crop and discuss management from variety selection to post-harvest.