Increasing Feed Grain Production
in North Carolina
Wesley Everman
Extension Weed Specialist
Department of Crop Science
Need
• Currently NC imports over 300 million bushels
of corn for use as livestock feed
• NC only produced 88 million bushels of corn in
2010
• NC produced 14 million bushels of wheat in
2010
Need
• 300 – 100 = Net Deficit in Feed Grain
• NC animal agriculture at a competitive disadvantage
• Potential for increased domestic grain sales and
reduced costs for animal industry
Win - Win
Goals
• Improve efficiencies
• Increase local supplies of feed grains
• Identify cropping systems with an immediate
impact on feed grain production
• Outreach activities
Approach
• Improved agronomic practices
• Economics, budgets, risk management
• Strategies for drying, storing, & delivering
• Novel crops – including ‘old crops’
• Potential double-crop rotations
Improved Agronomic Practices
• Enhancing wheat yields
– Agronomic practices (row spacing, populations)
– Grower practices (time of planting, management)
• Make wheat a “primary” crop
Economics
• New enterprise budgets
• Evaluate and enhance drying, storage, and
delivery capacities
• Overall goal to retain feed produced in NC
Novel crops
• Sorghum production
– Agronomic practices
• Canola, rapeseed
– Is there a fit?
• Others
Double-crop Rotations
• Wheat rotated with:
– Sorghum
– Corn
– Soybeans
• Triticale as a winter grain?
– Need for seed
• Canola, rapeseed
– Potential rotation crop, benefits
Outreach Activities
• Strategic Partnerships
– North Carolina Cooperative Extension
– North Carolina Department of Agriculture
– NC Small Grain Growers Association
– Industry representatives
Outreach Activities
• Present Best Management Practices
– Grower meetings, field days, farmer groups
• Educational materials available:
– Small Grain Production Guide
– Bulletins on sorghum production
– Virtual training online planned
Outcomes
• Improved efficiencies
• Increase local supplies of feed grains
• Implementation of cropping systems with an
immediate impact on feed grain production
• Increased awareness through outreach
activities
NC State Faculty involved
– Ron Heiniger
– Michele Marra
– Chris Reberg-Horton
– Nick Piggott
– Randy Weisz
– Kelly Zering
Sorghum Weed Management
Weed Management Options
Start clean!!!!
• Herbicide burndown
– Gramoxone, glyphosate, or Ignite
• Cultural
– Tillage
– row spacing
– planting date
Weed Management Options
Very limited options:
• PRE Herbicides
• Cultivation
• POST Herbicides
Burndown Herbicide Options
• Gramoxone SL
– 2 – 3 pt/A
• Glyphosate
– No glyphosate resistant weeds present
• Ignite
– 32 oz/A
Weed Management Options
• Should achieve excellent broadleaf control
– Palmer amaranth
– Morningglories
– Ragweed
• Grass control will be greatest concern
– Large crabgrass
– Johnsongrass
– Panicums
PRE Herbicide Options
• Atrazine
– 1 qt/A (save second qt/A for POST)
• Dual II Magnum, Outlook, Intrro, other PRE
grass herbicides
– Use full PRE rate for longer grass and pigweed
control
POST Herbicide Options
• Atrazine 1.2 qt/A
(do not apply > 2.5 qt atrazine/yr)
•
•
•
•
•
•
2,4-D 0.5 pt/A
Dicamba 0.5 pt/A
Buctril 1.5 pt/A
Basagran 1.5 pt/A
Aim 0.5 oz/A
Linex (LAYBY only) 1 pt/A
Weed Management Goals
• Research additional MOAs for sorghum
• Investigate most effective cultural practices
– tillage
– planting date
– row spacing
Questions?