Add Small Grains To Your Rotation

By: Sara Berges

A Wisconsin farmer is improving soil health and fertility on cropland he farms across the state border near Waukon in northeast Iowa. He added winter wheat to his rotation, followed by a diverse cover crop.

Adam Kramer, who owns and operates Black Sand Granary in Prairie du Chien, hopes to break up pest cycles, improve soil health and reduce input costs by adding a small grain to his corn-soybean rotation.

In October 2017, Kramer planted about 110 pounds per acre of soft red winter wheat on 70 acres following soybean harvest. Soil tests he conducted in 2015 when he started farming the property indicated the farm was deficient in many categories, including a compaction layer at 6 inches.

“The yields on the farm weren’t very good — certainly not profitable,” Kramer says. “I had an idea that farming in these conditions would require something different than the common rotation and practices. There is more work to do, but we are on track to build something sustainable.”