With this August setting up similar to last year and the need for wheat pasture for a number of producers this fall, we will likely see drills start rolling in parts of the state by the end of the month. As planting gets going, here are a couple considerations when it comes to planting dates and seeding rates for Oklahoma winter wheat.

Planting date:

The optimal window for dual-purpose wheat for most of Oklahoma is between September 10-20 (approximately day 260 in Figure 1). This window represents a trade-off between maximizing forage production while minimizing potential grain yield loss. Earlier planting dates, last week into this week for example, will provide more fall forage potential, but this is usually not recommended unless the wheat is intended to be produced for grazing, or “grazeout.” Planting dates for grain-only producers will be at least 2-3 weeks later than what is the ideal…