Abstract

Careful management and proper variety selection can make small grains profitable in crop rotations due to their low input requirements and beneficial effects on succeeding crops. When grown as a cash crop, cereal rye and oats can be marketed for cover crop seed, grain, straw, forage, hay, or haylage. Their mid-summer harvest allows for a myriad of field management options for the remainder of the season, such as mid-season manure application or the establishment of a perennial forage crop. Practical Farmers of Iowa has been collaborating with Iowa State Research Farms to trial small grain varieties since 2015. This past year, cereal rye and oats were trialed at the Armstrong and Neely-Kinyon Research and Demonstration Farms. This was the second-year cereal rye was trialed, and the third-year oat was trialed in this location.

How to Cite:

Gailans, S. & Breach, R. J., (2023) “Small Grain Variety Trials”, Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms Progress Reports 2022(2), 11-12.