Wheat Harvest on Zimmerman Farms
We have a bit of catching up to do. We're currently in full swing of corn and soybean harvest, but here's an update from our wheat harvest in July. This is the first year that we've planted wheat on the farm in some time, but we chose to do about 17 acres this year. Wheat is not a common crop to produce in our area, it is more common in southern Illinois because they have a longer growing season which allows them to double crop.
If I’ve sparked your curiosity, here is some information about wheat production in Illinois. Some of the information is from the Illinois Wheat Association at http://www.illinoiswheat.org/about-illinois-wheat.html.
The type of wheat produced in Illinois is soft red winter. This type of wheat doesn’t have the required amount of protein and gluten for yeast breads, so it’s used in other food products where fine particulate flour is needed.
Over 80% of Illinois’ wheat production occurs in the southern half of Illinois
Wheat is harvested earlier in the year than corn and soybeans. This gives farmers a bit of an advantage because it can allow them to plant a double crop on the same land. It’s more of a challenge to double crop in our area in particular because we have a shorter growing season. Conditions need to be favorable for this to happen. Wheat in our area is often grown on less productive land with the intent of bailing the wheat stems and grass (but this is not always the case). Grass can be sown into the wheat field at the same time the wheat is planted and this provides the farmer with more to bail for livestock.
Wheat is seeded in late September or early October in northern Illinois and in October in southern Illinois.
After its initial growth, wheat goes dormant for the winter season, then resumes in the spring.
Harvest begins in the middle of June in southern Illinois and ends in early July in northern Illinois.
Wheat is the ranks 3rd in Illinois for crop production.
