Crops Mr. Wisness

Crops Important to ND Hard Red Spring Wheat Durum Wheat Barley Flax Sunflower Oats Dry Edible Beans Sugarbeets Potatoes Rye Hay Winter Wheat Corn Soybeans

Wheat Commercial Classes Hard Red Spring Wheat Bread Hard Red Winter Wheat Durum Pasta Soft Red Winter Cake, biscuit, cracker, pastry White Pastry

Wheat Most important world crop; both in acreage and production Approximately 75 to 80% US acreage is winter wheat Requires a cold period before switching to reproductive growth (vernalization) In general, wheat is unsatisfactory on very sandy soils or poorly drained soils

Wheat Cool-season crop Minimum Temp. Optimum Temp. Maximum Temp. 37-39 degrees F Optimum Temp. 77 degrees F Maximum Temp. 86-89 degrees F

Wheat grades Based on quality and condition Quality Condition Plumpness, soundness, foreign material Condition High moisture, odor, smut Legal Weight 60 pounds per bushel US Grade #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or US Sample Grade

Hard Red Spring Wheat North Dakota ranks #1 Can be grown under a wide range of soil conditions and rainfall Best adapted to fertile, well drained silt and clay loam soils In early stages of development, can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees F

Hard Red Spring Wheat Winters in ND are too severe for winter wheat Limited rainfall during the growing period results in wheat that is high in protein content HRSW contains a large amount of gluten A proteinlike, semielastic substance which permits the dough to leaven or expand into large, light porous loaves

Durum Wheat ND ranks #1 Grown because it withstands drought better and is more resistant to most diseases than HRSW Flour not suited for breadmaking Made into semolina A granular flour used in making pasta products

HRSW and Durum Diseases Smut Black Stem Rust Scab Ergot Wheat Stem Sawfly

Oats Ranks 5th in world for cereals ND ranks #1 Cool season crop

Uses of Oat grain Livestock feed Food products More than 80 % is used for feed or exported High in protein content Excellent feed for horses Used as a forage crop for hay Food products < 5 % used for food for humans Rolled oats used for oatmeal, oatcakes, and cookies

Barley ND ranks #1 Used for: In the US Livestock feed Malting purposes Human Food In the US Feed is approximately 65 to 70 % Malt is approximately 25 to 30 %

Barley Cool-season crop Summer annual in North Dakota and Great Plains Widely adapted because it is dependable under salinity, frost or drought

Barley Classes 6-row barley 2-row barley 3 spikelets per rachis node 1 fertile floret per spikelet 2-row barley Only central spikelet has a fertile floret

Barley Malting Barley Used for brewing Must be plump, uniform, high in quality, low in nitrogen or protein, and bright in color Free from broken and skinned kernels Contain no more than 13 % moisture for storage

Rye Cool-season crop Mostly grown as a winter annual Leading producing countries are in Europe (Russia and Germany) Hardiest of all the cereals More productive than other grains on infertile, sandy or acidic soils

Rye Only small grain that is cross-pollinated Another problem causes it to be very susceptible to ergot Another problem Can mix with wheat in the field or seed Uses of Rye grain 50 to 60 % is fed or exported Food products Rye bread is dense and rises slightly Usually mixed with wheat flour

Flax ND ranks #1 Cool season crop Tolerates frost in the seedling stage Requires 18 to 30 inches of moisture annually Poor competitor with weeds Good cultural practices and herbicides are important

Flax Used to make linseed oil Linseed oil meal for livestock feed Seed contains 35 to 45 percent oil Paints and varnishes Linoleum and oilcloth Printers ink Linseed oil meal for livestock feed 35 percent protein that is 85 percent digestible

Sunflowers ND ranks #1 Classes Oil-type Non-oil type 90 % of US acreage Edible and industrial oil Non-oil type 10% of US acreage Whole roasted Shelled for baking and candies Bird Food

Sunflowers Uses Edible oil is major use Sunflower Oil Meal Whole kernel and nutmeat specialty markets

Sunflowers Characteristics Cross-pollinated Short-day plant Relatively draught tolerant and grows well on many soil type

Soybeans World’s most important edible vegetable oil US is world’s leading producer Short day plant Warm Season plant Member of the legume family

Soybeans A minimum of 120 frost-free days, with a mean summer temperature above 70 degrees F is needed to produce acceptable yields Self-pollinated Harvesting In fall when seedpods turn yellow and dry down to about 14 percent moisture Cut and threshed by a combine

Soybeans Uses Edible oil Soybean Oil Meal Green Manure crop Seed is 20 to 24 % oil Soybean Oil Meal Popular Feed for Livestock Green Manure crop

Sugarbeets Red River Valley is leading producer in US Must have a contract with a factory Account for 35 to 40 % of world’s sugar production Biennial for seed production

Sugarbeets Cool-season crop Uses Optimum temperature for growth is 75 degrees F Cool autumn weather favors sugar storage Uses Sugar By-products Beet Pulp Molasses (Livestock feed)

Sugarbeets Harvesting Normally at end of first season of growth Approximately 5 to 7 months after planting

Potatoes Tubers originate as swellings at the ends of rhizomes Herbaceous perennial dicot but grown as an annual Cool-season crop (Northern lattitudes) Well-distributed rainfall of 12 to 24 inches over a 3 to 4 month growing season is best

Potatoes Uses Carbohydrate source Human consumption Livestock feed Tuber is 65 to 80 % starch Human consumption Fresh - 35 % Frozen - 35% Dehydrated, chips, canned - 20 % Livestock feed

Potatoes Grown from vegetative parts, not seed Growers sow pieces of potato from which new plants grow and produce tubers

Corn Types of corn Dent (Yellow or White Class) Popcorn Flint Flour Field corn grown in US Popcorn Can explode to 20 times its size Flint Field corn grown in South America & Europe Flour used in making breads

Corn Important World Food Crop Grown in every US state Warm-season crop Minimum temperature is 50 degrees F Maximum temperature is 86 degrees F Very little corn is grown where the mean summer temp. is less than 66 degrees F Short-day plant Cross-pollinated

Corn Uses Livestock feed Human uses 85 to 90 % of US production is used for feed Human uses Food High fructose corn syrup Ethanol

Forage crops Alfalfa Sweetclover Smooth bromegrass Wheatgrass Kentucky Bluegrass Sudangrass Millets

Forage crops Crops grown as feed for animals and used in the form of pasture, hay or silage There are 3.5 million acres of hay in ND Approximately one half of that is alfalfa Livestock feed 60 % of all feed units consumed by livestock in the US are furnished by forages 95 % of all feed units consumed by beef cows in ND are furnished by forages

Forage crops Other benefits Soil improvement Soil protection Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen