Winter Rye

Buckeye

Active Member
FYI, I stopped by my local feed mill today to order some winter rye and wheat. They told me there is a shortage of winter rye this year and the prices are suppose to go up a bunch. They didn't know how much yet.
 
Ive heard that too, but I know my neighbor sold rye to the local Coop for $5/bushel, they were gonna clean it and germ test it. No idea on what the final price will be.
 
$24 a bag down here. If you don't order it now, you won't get any. I think it was $14 last year. We are going with more oats and wheat because of it.
 
7 years ago, no farmer around here rotated into a winter cover. Now all them are planting rye, wheat, clover and brassica when corn is harvested. They've caught on to our secret. WW and reclaimed oats is still typically cheaper and works nearly as well for cover crop and deer food and throw and mow plantings.
 
I paid $16 for a 50 pound bag picked up from Deer Creek seed company in Windsor, WI. That was the same price as last year.
Updated as I have picked up the rye today Thursday August 9 and talked to a fellow in the office. Deer Creek has an adequate supply of winter rye and they have more semi trucks of it ordered and on the way. He said it was unusual to see such a run on WR this early in the summer. I did not inquire if the price will remain the same. I have had positive experiences with Deer Creek Seed Company each and every time I have ordered from them and picked up in person at the Windsor, WI location over the past two years.
 
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It went way up here. It is $29 for a 50 pound bag. So it is out of my league. So I ended up buying 1000 pounds of wheat and 200 pounds of oats instead of the rye this season. Also adding 50 lbs of Daikon radishes, 100 lbs of crimson clover , 50 lbs of medium red clover, 15 lbs of white clover and 15 lbs of chicory.
 
It went way up here. It is $29 for a 50 pound bag. So it is out of my league. So I ended up buying 1000 pounds of wheat and 200 pounds of oats instead of the rye this season. Also adding 50 lbs of Daikon radishes, 100 lbs of crimson clover , 50 lbs of medium red clover, 15 lbs of white clover and 15 lbs of chicory.
I’ve never grown WW. How’s it compare to WR for deer forage?
 
7 years ago, no farmer around here rotated into a winter cover. Now all them are planting rye, wheat, clover and brassica when corn is harvested. They've caught on to our secret. WW and reclaimed oats is still typically cheaper and works nearly as well for cover crop and deer food and throw and mow plantings.
If there are so many farmers planting it, then shouldn't there be a lot of seed available?
Like most other grains...one rye seed = one plant = many seeds. Ain't these farmers combining it?
 
I’ve never grown WW. How’s it compare to WR for deer forage?
I've never grown it myself, but I see pretty good deer utilization where it is grown on other properties.
If I remember correctly, Lickcreek advocated rye over wheat because rye germinates in lower temps and is less prone to diseases than wheat...am I remembering that correctly?
 
If there are so many farmers planting it, then shouldn't there be a lot of seed available?
Like most other grains...one rye seed = one plant = many seeds. Ain't these farmers combining it?
They don't sell any, just rotated into their notill corn planting the next spring. They have learned what we knew. And since demand is up, so goes the price and availabilty. It also hurts my attraction in the fall since deer now can find brassica and winter grains and clovers in any cropped field in the fall..
 
I’ve never grown WW. How’s it compare to WR for deer forage?
Deer actually like it better my experience. I use it and rye in overseeding browsed brassica late Oct early Nov.
Couple things I don't like a well, WW doesnt' spring greenup as quickly as WR, WR is sligtly, but only slightly better with weed control, and WR stands a little taller for me for June fawning cover. The last thing, is WW tends to tiller more in the spring growth and can be a little more of an issue in the next fall rotation if one is usuing a rottiller. It also tends to matt too much in throw and mow. But all of those are pickky differences.
I usually mix WR/WW together and spread but since you guys scaring me on prices, I will go cheap. See in a couple wks when I plant.
 
Deer actually like it better my experience. I use it and rye in overseeding browsed brassica late Oct early Nov.
Couple things I don't like a well, WW doesnt' spring greenup as quickly as WR, WR is sligtly, but only slightly better with weed control, and WR stands a little taller for me for June fawning cover. The last thing, is WW tends to tiller more in the spring growth and can be a little more of an issue in the next fall rotation if one is usuing a rottiller. It also tends to matt too much in throw and mow. But all of those are pickky differences.
I usually mix WR/WW together and spread but since you guys scaring me on prices, I will go cheap. See in a couple wks when I plant.
I have always mixed mine together as well but I am not paying those prices.
 
The biggest difference i have seen in WW and WR, is the wheat always required an extra dose of nitrogen for it to do anything where I am at. WR has grown in the bed of my truck, while WW struggled until I hit it with some urea.
 
If there are so many farmers planting it, then shouldn't there be a lot of seed available?
Like most other grains...one rye seed = one plant = many seeds. Ain't these farmers combining it?

I think the rye crop was poor this year around the northern states. My hunch is it had something to do with the late start to spring. I know a handful of guys that had awful rye this spring, including myself. Northern Iowa had a foot of snow fall on April 24th.


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Rye has been jumping up in price in central South Carolina for the last few years. Last year prices were $25-29 / 50# bag at most of the retail feed stores at the beginning of planting season and then dropped down around $20 / bag later in the fall. I have not seen cereal rye sell for below $20 / bag at the retail feed stores in 4-5 years.

A buddy of mine that sells crop insurance told me last year he had several growers that were planting rye to harvest for sale this year. Like any other commodity, it is supply and demand. There are some pretty good incentives for growers to plant covers out there now which all in all is a good thing, but it does change the game in a number of ways.
 
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