Our Haxtun Life Blog: Drilling Winter Wheat

Our Haxtun Life

Drilling Winter Wheat

Last week, Big Roy (my father-in-law) was out drilling wheat.

Here's a closer view for those who enjoy big machines. The tractor Big Roy is driving is a John Deere 8200 with mechanical front wheel assist (MFWD for short). That last part just means that the front wheels can be turned on to help drive along with the back wheels, like 4-wheel-drive. Behind the tractor is a Bourgault 4300 cart that holds 300 bushel of seed. Behind that is a 32-foot Bourgault chisel that's been converted to an air seeder (drill). Here's close-up photos of the air seeder and cart.

Now I was a bit curious about how a chisel can be converted to a seeder, so I gave Little Roy (my husband) the third degree over breakfast this morning. You see, a chisel is a piece of equipment that breaks up the ground, a type of tilling. Before conversion, there were little sharp points (the chisels) that were drawn through the ground. Now, instead of sharp points there are points that look like a little garden hoe. They split the soil open as the drill moves along so that a seed can be dropped into the ground right behind it (again, check out these pictures to see how it all works). The soil falls back in as the drill passes by and a packer wheel tamps down the ground over the seed.

But why convert a chisel? Well this particular chisel/seeder is a 4-gang chisel. That means there are four rows of points mounted to the frame of the chisel. When looking straight-on at the back of the seeder, those rows run from right to left. Each row has a certain number of points and the points from all the rows are offset so that no two plant in the same furrow. Many seeders were 3-gang, at least at the time this seeder was purchased. 3-gang has the same number of points as a 4-gang, which means that they are more crowded on the 3-gang. Room between points is an important considerations because trash (plant debris, rocks, soil clods) has to pass between them. No-till has a greater amount of plant debris and a rougher surface to work on than conventional till, so the 4-gang is a better fit.

Above is what the ground looks like after the drill has gone by. Roy's family are no-till farmers, which is why the field still has stubbles of wheat in it from last year. The stubble will contribute organic matter to the soil which improves the soil's structure and provides nutrients to new crops. Plus, it acts as protection against wind and helps to capture snow to contribute moisture to the crops.

Have any of you out there wondered why we're planting a crop at the beginning of autumn? It seems a little strange because most gardeners start their seeds in spring after the chance of frost. Well, that's why this is called Winter Wheat. It starts growing in the autumn and will even put up bright green sprouts. But before it can ever make a crop it has to "vernalize", or freeze. The top of the plant will die back and it'll go dormant until Spring. Then it'll start up again and produce a crop in mid-summer.

I learned all about winter wheat just now on the phone with Big Roy. He pointed out that there is some flexibility to when you drill. The big rule is that it has to go through a freeze, but you could drill it in late winter and still have a freeze before spring. Most farmers, though, drilled within this last month. Doing it now gives the seed time to germinate and grow a shoot (or possibly a few) before it goes dormant. Also, the part of the plant above ground that dies back for the winter serves the same purpose as the stubble, which is to protect the soil. If you want to know more, I've previously talked about the different types of wheat that can be grown.

By the way, Big Roy isn't quite done with his drilling. When you're a farmer, you're at the mercy of the weather. Although it was beautiful and sunny last Wednesday when I took those pictures of him in the field, this is what it looks like today: