Barley

[rbmerritt11]

I have been in my second career now since 1998 and have found out that when you plant a crop that hasn't been in the rotation for a long time you always seem to get a better than average yield. Example -planted wheat in fields that had not seen wheat for a very long time- good yield. Question is if I plant barley in a field that has been on a corn-wheat-soybean rotation will I get the same little extra performance? Best I could do with words- hope everybody understands the question. Corn-barley-soybeans?

[Shaggy98]

The extra yield might be from the wheat using micro's out of the soil they other crops don't necessarily need. If we feed our soils with the proper fertilization to keep it at a productive base level for any crop, then we can spoon feed the crop we are planting the micro nutrients we know each crop will benefit from the most. I believe this is where foliar applied fertilization pays off, crop feeding not soil feeding. Just another way to show the importance of soil testing each year. Soils testing doesn't cost, it pays.

[buckfarmer]

The yield bump may also be from desease and insect pressure. Barley is pretty close to wheat. So might not be as big a bump as other crops. The two being similar may also factor into what Shaggy is talking about. We raised barley in the past. It dosn't like wet ground and aprently dosn't like swings between warm and cold or whatever you call the weather we had this year in southern Ohio this year.

[farmerguy89]

Foliar fertilization only works when a deficiency exists. Foliar feeding P/K is uneconomical.

As for wheat vs barley in rotation: most barley diseases cross over to wheat. So, they are very similar crops in rotational effects. CSW rotations are better than C/S or continuous crop. Essentially, you will not see a yield increase w/ the inclusion of barley in a CSW rotation, because its like growing another wheat crop.

Not many oat diseases cross over with a CSW rotation however. 

If you underseeded red clover for fall termination, you will likely see yield increases, even 2 years down the road.

[rbmerritt11]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am almost 66 but have been farming since 1998 and value experience others have.