Agronomic crops double-cropped with wheat

One of the most important decisions a farmer must make is about planting date; it can have a significant impact on crop yield and risk. In North Carolina, the majority of summer crops are grown as full-season crops. The exception is double-cropping soybean following wheat harvest. Information on the viability of double-cropping corn, cotton, grain sorghum, or peanut after wheat is limited throughout much of the southeastern U.S.

In a recently published Agronomy Journal study, researchers documented yields of corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanut, and soybean grown either as full-season crops or following wheat harvest. Over the five-year study, yield varied across years and planting dates for all summer crops and was often associated with weather patterns. When considering all combinations of years and crops, financial returns using 10-year average prices were greater for double cropping compared with full-season crop production in only 20% of the comparisons.

In most instances, financial returns for double-cropping wheat and soybean were equal to or greater than double-cropping wheat with the other summer crops included in the study and carried less financial risk for the farmer. These findings may help farmers make planting date decisions.