Wheat Red Winter Seed (lb)

Red Winter Wheat is a cool-season cereal for growers who want dependable fall establishment followed by renewed growth in spring. Seeded before winter, it protects exposed soil, develops a fibrous root system, and captures nutrients that might otherwise move beyond the reach of the next crop. The stand resumes growth after winter dormancy and can produce useful biomass, straw, forage, or grain.

Unlike spring wheat, winter wheat must establish in fall and then experience an extended period of cold—a process called vernalization—before it can flower and produce grain the following summer. This makes planting time important. Seed early enough for seedlings to emerge and develop before severe winter conditions arrive, but manage spring growth according to whether the goal is green manure, grazing, straw, or grain production.

For cover cropping, terminate before mature seed develops and allow incorporated residue time to begin decomposing before planting the next crop. Earlier termination produces softer, lower-volume residue; later termination creates more biomass with a higher carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Red Winter Wheat can also be combined with peas, vetch, or another winter legume when both nitrogen fixation and cereal residue are desired. Wheat is a grass, so its seed does not require Rhizobium inoculant.

• Crop Type: Cool-season winter annual cereal grain
• Application Rate: 100 lb per acre
• Inoculant: Not required. This is a nonlegume cover crop and does not rely on Rhizobium bacteria for nitrogen fixation.
• Plant Height: Approximately 3 feet
• Uses: Winter soil protection, erosion control, weed competition, nutrient scavenging, green manure, grazing, straw, and grain production
• Vernalization: Must establish in fall and experience prolonged cold before producing grain the following summer
• Management: Terminate before mature seed develops when used as a cover crop and allow incorporated residue time to decompose

For more information, see our Resource Center guide to harvesting, threshing, and storing homegrown grain.