Succotash Comes Through In Wet Year

Succotash Comes Through In Wet Year CROPS Miscellaneous Chuck Wendt couldn’t get into his flooded fields last year until the second week of July but he still got a crop While corn was out of the question at that late date Wendt planted succotash from Albert Lea Seed House The mixture of 40 percent oats 30 percent spring wheat and 30 percent barley came through “I combined October 20 and it yielded a better than average crop of more than 80 bu per acre ” says Wendt “I’ve grown it for more than 40 years but I didn’t know how it would do planting that late ” As in past years Wendt planted the succotash on previous year’s corn ground Some years he applies fertilizer but this year he didn’t need any “I had put anhydrous on the field in May in preparation for corn but I never got back out there until July ” he says “I planted it at 500 lbs per acre and it came up very thick with no weeds In the past I have sometimes chopped it and thought I would this year as well However when I was ready to chop it looked so nice that I decided to take it for grain ” Wendt is glad he did In addition to more than 30 000 bu of grain he took off 1 700 bales of straw He thinks the wheat out-performed the barley Normally he feeds it as 20 to 30 percent of a mixed ration with corn and soybean meal This year he’s feeding it straight as he has had to buy forage due to excessive alfalfa winter kill and doesn’t think he can afford to buy grain as well “I’ve been milking cows since 1960 but this may be my last year to dairy ” says Wendt Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Charles A Wendt 9642 County 6 Rd S W Stewartville Minn 55976 ph 507 533-4176

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