Research

Background

Double cropping is a practice where two crops are harvested from a field in the same year. This practice can optimize land use, provide additional revenue streams or forage for cattle, reduce erosion and potentially increase soil quality. In regions with shorter growing seasons, this often means planting a winter cereal in the fall, harvesting the next summer earlier than you would a typical spring-seeded crop, and then immediately planting another crop that can be harvested or grazed later in the fall.

However, double cropping also comes with challenges. Input costs can be higher because you’re dealing with two crops, not just one. The species maturity along with seeding and harvest management and timing needs careful consideration,  and available moisture will be a big component of whether or not it is successful. Depending on weather and inputs, yields may not be higher.

This project intends to evaluate double cropping systems for cattle feed production under irrigation in southern Alberta.

Objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

• Determine the optimal winter cereal (hybrid fall rye, winter wheat, winter triticale)
• Determine optimal time of harvest for the initial winter cereal silage crop (early-mid June vs. late June)
• Determine the best-performing second crop (oats, barley, corn, sorghum)
• Conduct an economic analysis of each double-cropping system tested

Implications of the Research

This project will help to refine double-cropping systems in southern Alberta, providing producers with regionally specific information to inform decision making and optimize management.