Amarillo, Texas
June 7, 2006
Wheat is usually grown for grazing
and grain, but the expanding dairy industry is creating a market
for wheat as a protein-rich silage, said two
Texas Cooperative
Extension specialists.
Dr. Ellen Jordan, Extension dairy specialist in Dallas, said
wheat silage has been used in other areas and now dairies moving
into the Panhandle are finding it works as an excellent forage.
"We will probably be seeing more people consider growing wheat
for silage as an alternative to growing it for grain," Jordan
said. "It will be on a year-by-year basis, depending on the
price for a crop, versus the price for silage.
"If you have good wheat prices and a high yielding crop, it may
be better to grow it for the grain," she said.
Dr. Brent Bean, Extension agronomist in Amarillo, said dairy
producers are seeking growers out. They want small grain silage,
whether it be wheat or triticale.
"We probably saw more go that way this year because the
potential for a good grain crop looked minimal," Bean said.
"Also, they cut it for silage so they wouldn't have to keep
watering it."
Producers are asking more questions about varieties and quality
as well as tonnage, he said. More test plots of both triticale
and wheat varieties are being planted to compare strictly their
silage potential.
In order to get the high quality forage needed by the dairies,
producers must cut the wheat earlier, Jordan said. Wheat cut in
the boot stage or very early flowering stage to get higher
protein.
Producers need a balance between quality and tonnage, she said.
The earlier the forage is harvested, the higher protein and
energy value are, but less tonnage is available.
"If the farmer is getting paid strictly off tonnage, then it's a
detriment to him," Bean said. "One thing that could be done is
the dairies could start paying for quality or percent protein
per ton. This tends to be more fair for everyone involved."
Many production practices, such as planting dates and seeding
rates, will probably stay the same whether the crop is being
grown for grain or for silage, Bean said, although more research
is needed in that area.
One management practice is different, Jordan said. Any small
grain silage should be field wilted so the moisture content
drops to 65 percent before it is ensiled.
The growing season plays a key role when determining whether to
harvest a crop for grain or silage, she said.
"We may be able to reduce the spring irrigation by harvesting
the wheat at an earlier stage, so what happens with the wheat
crop may be determined by the rainfall and how much water is
available for irrigation," Jordan said.
Wheat silage supplements corn silage, she said. Small grain
silages cut at the earlier stages are higher in protein, but
lower in energy, than corn or sorghum silages.
Producers can split their risks by growing a combination of the
two: forage sorghum or corn as summer crops and wheat or
triticale as winter crops, Jordan said.
"Some producers will double crop and grow both silages on the
same land in the same year," she said.
Silage transactions take various forms. Some dairies contract
with growers to raise wheat for silage, other raise their own
for silage. Some producers raise wheat silage without a contract
and negotiate later with dairies.
Jordan said when deciding to sell a wheat crop as silage,
producers need to consider:
- Will it be sold as it
stands in the field?
- Who will harvest and truck
to the silage point?
- Who is responsible for
packing into the silage pit?
- Price should include
percentage of dry matter.
- Possible deductions for
anything too wet should be determined in advance.
- Will the silage be paid
for at harvest time or as it is used?
- Will there be a protein
premium or deduction based on quality?
- What's the risk as
compared to other harvesting methods?
- Does the producer want to
consider retaining ownership and selling it from a silage
pile over the course of a whole season?
|