More Research, Information Needed To Draw Conclusions about Intensive Wheat Management

Remember “Maximum Economic Yield,” a catch phrase and production trend in the 1980s that even spawned MEY clubs? There seems to be a renaissance of the practice of sorts, with a new name, “Intensive Wheat Management.”

IWM became a buzz phrase this past winter when Opti-Crop held a number of meetings on the concept in the Northern Plains.  Producers paid $250 apiece to attend.

According to web site information of the parent company, Miles Enterprises of Owens-boro, Ky, IWM took off in Kentucky after a group of growers from the state traveled to the United Kingdom in 1986, and saw that European growers were reaping wheat yields three times greater than those typically harvested in most U.S. wheat-producing regions through IWM. 

Trip organizers returned home and launched a fee-based intensive wheat management program built upon the European techniques. Many Kentucky farmers successfully implemented the innovative system, and in the 15-year span since the program started, Kentucky’s wheat yield average has doubled, while yields in most surrounding states have remained stagnant.

Now, the company is working with a few local input suppliers and Opti-Crop franchisees to bring the concept to the Northern Plains, but not without debate.  Officials from North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota have questioned whether some practices recommended under the Opti-Crop program can work with spring wheat in the Northern Plains, a different production environment than winter wheat in the south central U.S.

Opti-Crop’s systems approach emphasizes many sound wheat management practices, including soil testing to determine fertility needs, planting quality seed, planter calibration, good seedbed preparation, and diligent scouting and management of weeds, insects and diseases.

However, one recommendation that has drawn “spirited discussion” is the value of a split application of nitrogen.  Opti-Crop advises a “modest” rate of N at seeding, then a topdress treatment sometime during Feekes growth stages 4 to 6. NDSU and U of M crop scientists have questioned the value of split applications, pointing to studies which have indicated little to no yield advantage.

Tillering is another issue that has come under question. Some IWM proponents say it is beneficial to increase wheat seeding rates to get fewer tillers and a more uniform stand that can be treated for pests and harvested more optimally.  However, NDSU crop scientists say that there may not be an advantage to a higher-than-normal seeding rate and that tillers, especially the first few, are important to final grain yield.

One major factor in the Northern Plains that spring wheat growers don’t have to the same degree in Europe or Kentucky is the variability and unpredictable nature of our environment.  Too much water in areas of the Red River Valley, and often too little out west; this variability in water can significantly affect the success of IWM.

“I think many of the concepts of IWM are valid, but these concepts are woefully inadequate if they don’t take into consideration our environment and what we can do to manage and respond to it,” says one U of M agronomist.

Says another agronomist at NDSU: “Much of what Opti-Crop talks about is not new. What I think is somewhat new is the supplier taking a more active role in the consulting and application. Getting the job done season-long requires time, resources and a willingness to do timely management. Perhaps the combination of an excited grower, consultant and supplier working together, using local data, is what is needed to maximize wheat yields in a given year.”

If anything, Opti-Crop’s presentations on IWM this past winter generated new interest in wheat, and healthy discussions about best management practices. We hope producers who signed up for the program will succeed in boosting their yields and their profits under the system. At the same time, this is a concept that certainly is not for everyone, and there are facets of this program that compel more answers.

To that end, Opti-Crop/Miles Enterprises states on its web site that “in 2003, we will be conducting extensive replicated small plot trials in key spring wheat growing areas, including two sites in North Dakota and one in South Dakota. This work will embrace many different aspects, including variety selection, fungicide evaluation, soil fertility, weed control and a host of other factors.”   NDSU will be researching aspects of IWM as well.  We look forward to more research results and information before conclusions can be made that intensive spring wheat management is economically viable and sustainable in the Northern Plains growing environment.

Association Perspectives represents the views of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, Montana Grain Growers Association, and South Dakota Wheat Inc.