Want a bigger yield for your field crops? Consider joining the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) – or at least learning from their discoveries.
Peter Johnson, the agronomist behind the “Wheat Pete’s Word” podcast, shared information from YEN at the recent Soybean & Small Grains Congress hosted by CCE’s Northwest Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program.
YEN began in the UK and regional chapters have sprung up worldwide. “There’s four key components: yield, percent of soil potential, data collection and sharing and networking,” Johnson said of YEN.
He thinks that growers often underestimate the importance of soil health. “You want to know who wins yield contests?” he asked. “Dairymen.”
He attributed their wins to crop rotation and accessibility to abundant manure.
The Great Lakes YEN includes farms in Ontario, Canada (94), Michigan (48), Kentucky (19), Ohio (12), Indiana (6), New York (5), Missouri (3), Wisconsin (3), Illinois (2), Pennsylvania (1) and Washington (1). From 2021 with 43 fields, the program grew to 186 fields in 2024.
Choosing the right seeds makes a difference in yield. Seeds farmers have saved (aka “bin run seed”) compared with certified seeds show that the latter offers a significantly larger yield among barley, oats, soybeans, spring wheat and winter wheat.
The total biomass and the amount of grain heads per wheat plant means higher yields. “It’s not rocket science,” Johnson said. “If you don’t have big biomass, you won’t have big yields.”
It all comes down to the number of tillers per square foot. Planting more seeds per square foot means fewer tillers because of plant competition.
Peter Johnson, the agronomist behind “Wheat Pete’s Word,” shared information from YEN at the recent Soybean & Small Grains Congress. Photo by Deborah J. Sergeant
“Lower the seeding rate,” Johnson said. “The plant is looking to increase its progeny instead of competing with its neighbors. The only way it works is you have to get those tillers in the fall.”
By planting earlier in autumn, farmers can get fall tillers and canopy closure. But unfortunately, that’s about when farmers are working to harvest other crops.
Planting earlier can help the plants have more hours of sunlight.
“Wheat can tell when you planted,” Johnson said. “It takes more heat to drive it through every growth phase. If you can plant early, you can get five tillers per plant for six total. Manage planting early through lower seeding rates.”
He also encouraged farmers to plant wheat one inch apart to avoid competition. Drills tend to clump too many seeds together.
“Do everything you can to keep seeds individual,” Johnson said. “Plant-to-plant competition matters.”
He also recommended planning weed control for the optimal time of year. “Spring weed control on winter wheat doesn’t matter,” he said. “It does nothing to yield. You have to kill weeds in fall. A good wheat crop out competes them. Winter weeds and annuals do matter.”
He added that winter wheat doesn’t need nitrogen, but seed-placed phosphorus will increase the yield by eight bushels per acre.
“It will speed growth so you get one more tiller in fall,” he said. “Match your seeding rate to your planting date.”
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