Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
One crop that has dropped in popularity in Elkhart County is wheat. Back in 1910, there were 34,877 acres of wheat grown in the county, or 17% of our farmland at that time. In 2017, the Census of Agriculture reports only 2,354 acres of wheat was grown on our 174,929 acres of farmland.
I suspect much of that wheat was grown for the straw, rather than the grain. The market for wheat grain has largely been unprofitable two-thirds of the past 50 years, but when combined with the straw market, it does appear more profitable.
Straw, the dried stalk of the wheat after the grain is harvested, was for centuries considered a waste byproduct of wheat production, and was burned. Great clouds of smoke rolled across the wheat belts of the world after harvest time, releasing considerable carbon into the atmosphere. Once people discovered straw could be used as animal bedding and as a mulch for plants like newly seeded crops, lawns or strawberries, it became a valued commodity.
When using straw as a mulch, the common recommendation I hear is “one bale of straw per 1,000 square feet.” Over the years, that recommendation has taken on some caveats. A traditional two-string bale of straw that recommendation was created for weighs between 40-45 pounds. However, modern hay baling equipment has rendered that stereotype useless, because large square or round bales may weigh 500-plus pounds. Fortunately, there are local farmers who still make traditional-sized bales for the hobby horse and cattle growers.
I am often asked what the difference is between hay and straw. The terms are not interchangeable.
Hay is a forage crop that is grown, dried and harvested as feed for cattle, horses and other farm animals. It is often stored in bales to use as a feed in the winter. Hay often contains seeds of the forage crop, as well as whatever weeds were growing in the field.
In a garden, getting the hay and straw confused can cause problems. Straws are mostly seed free, and typically yellow in color. Hay is typically green. Mistakenly using hay as a mulch in the garden will result in, let’s just say, a whole new batch of plants you did not expect.
Another way we flip-flop the terms hay and straw is the traditional hayride. We say we “went on a hayride,” yet the wagons are normally filled with straw rather than hay. That’s probably a good thing, because a “straw ride” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, and a true hayride would be a sneeze filled nightmare for people with “hay-fever” allergies.
Another reason wheat is grown in our area may surprise you. Livestock farmer often need a place to apply manure. Since our wheat is harvested in July, this allows farmers a place to apply manure when all other fields are growing other crops. It is one of the reasons why wheat remains in the crop rotation on many farms.
The type of wheat grown in our region is typically soft red winter wheat. Most of the soft red winter wheat in the U.S. is grown east of the Mississippi. It is often used for confectionary baked goods, like cookies, cakes and crackers, and may be used to blend into other flour products.
There are five other types of wheat commonly grown in the U.S. Hard red spring wheat is primarily grown in North Dakota and Montana. As the name implies, it is planted in the spring. It is among the most valued of the wheats, being a good-flavor wheat, often used in bagels, pizza crust and higher quality buns and rolls. Because of the good taste, it is often blended into flours to improve quality.
Hard red winter wheat is primarily grown throughout the Great Plains. It is typically used in milling and baking of foods like hard rolls, croissants and flatbreads, as well as general purpose flour and some types of noodles, but is often blended with other wheat types for general purpose flour.
Soft white wheat has a brighter appearance, and is often used for cakes, doughnuts, pastries and specialty crackers, as well as some specific types of noodles. Much of this wheat is grown in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, with a small pocket of growers in the thumb of Michigan. The majority of this type of wheat is grown under contract with the end users, who want to guarantee their supply is available each year.
Most acres of hard white wheat in the U.S. are in Colorado and western Kansas. Australia, China and South Asia dominate the world market. This is the dominate wheat used for noodles in the world, as well as pan breads and flat breads.
Durum, the hardest of the wheats, has a rich amber color and high gluten content. Many of the European pastas and breads are derived from this wheat. Montana and the Dakotas grow most of the durum wheat in the US. Much of the world’s production focus on the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Jeff Burbrink is a Purdue Extension educator in Elkhart County. He can be reached at 574-533-0554 or at jburbrink@purdue.edu.
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