34 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2017 THERE IS MORE to the value of wheat than the value of its grain. In some markets, wheat straw is worth more than the grain. In southern Plains states where pasture is plenty, farmers and ranchers use stocker cattle or fall-weaned calves to turn a profit. Here, wheat grass is used for grazing. When the wheat is planted, about one-half of the crop is usually intended to be grazed. As the winter season progresses, intentions may change as market prices for wheat and beef change. Having a wheat crop that allows growers to make mid- season decisions is a valuable option. “Wheat is an almost perfect cool-season grass for Oklahoma and Texas cattlemen,” says Brett Carver, head of Oklahoma State University’s (OSU’s) wheat breeding program at Stillwater. “Here, winter wheat is used as a dual-purpose crop. It can be grazed from late fall to early spring with stocker beef cattle and then be allowed to mature and harvested for grain.” If winter and early spring market prices are more favorable for beef, a farmer could decide to keep cattle on pasture longer and use more wheat for forage instead of letting the crop grow and mature for grain production. According to Carver, the best areas for dual-purpose grain- graze wheat are Texas and Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico and southern Kansas. In much of this area, farmers do not have many crop options other than wheat. There are a few cool-season forage grasses adapted to the region, but they usually take too long to establish in a double-crop rotation. Farmers don’t usu- ally double-crop winter wheat after soybeans or corn, so early planted wheat used as winter forage is not a problem. Four critical growing conditions are needed to raise wheat as a dual-purpose crop, according to Carver. These include: 1. Dual-purpose graze-grain varieties work best with winter wheat. 2. Winter temperatures must be warm enough to allow forage crops to grow from planting through to spring. North of central Kansas, temperatures are too cold for sustained winter forage growth. 3. In areas with too much winter rain, grazing cattle will tram- ple and destroy the wheat crop. 4. If winter wheat is double-cropped, the preceding crop must be harvested early enough to allow wheat to be planted six weeks earlier than normal to allow time for establishment and for it to produce forage before the cattle arrive. Plant Breeders and Cattlemen Intersect “A good dual-purpose wheat variety makes it easier for cat- tleman to change intentions after the crop is established as to Cattle Producers Drive Oklahoma Wheat Breeding Dual-purpose varieties for grazing and grain provide farmers and ranchers flexibility for in-season changes. Joe Funk jfunk@issuesink.com