FIELD CROPS
OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
Field crops: wheat, corn, oat, barley, dry edible bean, soybean, forages, sugar beet and potato. Buckwheat, canola,
others not included due to small acreage.
Yield of crops related to soil texture (Table 1).
Comment: corn (maize), dry edible bean and potato are New W orld crops, others are Old W orld crops.
Question is raised of why certain crops are grown in certain regions of the state. Related to soils, infrastructure
and farming expertise.
CEREAL CROPS
All are members of the grass (Gramineae) family.
Grain production is main goal but, whole plant of corn is used for silage and straw of wheat, oat and barley is
sometimes removed for bedding and feed.
Corn
Latin name for corn (maize) is Zea mays L.
New W orld crop, probably originating in Mexico, but widely grown in North and South America when Europeans
arrived.
Distribution of production in the state (Figure 1).
Soil preparation including reduced tillage, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest dates for silage and grain.
Utilization - animal feed, human consumption (many products), sweeteners (high fructose), ethanol production,
plastics.
Wheat
Latin name is Triticum aestivum L.
Contrast winter and spring wheat, red and white.
W heat produced in M ichigan is soft wheat. Hard wheat produced in drier regions.
Distribution of production in state (Figure 2).
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest of winter wheat in mid-July, spring wheat in late August/early Sepember.
Utilized largely for making flour for bread and pastries, but also for breakfast cereals and snack foods.
Barley
Latin name is Hordeum vulgare L.
There are winter and spring barley varieties, spring barley is predominately grown.
Efforts to produce malting barley were not as successful as desired because climatic conditions limited consistent
quality.
Production is approximately 20,000 acres
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest is usually late August.
Utilized largely for animal feed, but also for human consumption.
Oats
Latin name is Avena sativa L.
There are winter and spring oat varieties, spring oat is predominately grown.
Only about 20,000 acres of oats is produced in the state. The amount has declined with the numbers of on farm
horses.
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest late August, early September.
Utilized largely for animal feed, but also for human consumption.
EDIBLE LEGUM ES
Soybean and dry edible bean.
Soybean
Latin name is Glycine max L.
Production is greatest in southern Michigan, but is grown as far north as Mackinaw Bridge (Figure 3).
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest late September and October.
Crop is processed for consumption by either animals or humans. Highest protein content of any crop. Meal is
produced for animal feed. Numerous products for human consumption. Oil is used for food and in industrial
applications including fuel for diesel engines.
Dry Edible Bean
Latin name is Phaseolus vulgaris L.
There are several classes of dry bean produced in Michigan. In order of acreage they are: black, navy, small red,
pinto, dark and light red kidney, and cranberry.
Production is distributed throughout Michigan (Figure 4).
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest late August and September.
This crop in primarily consumed by humans. Heating is required to deactivate harmful enzymes before
consumed. A majority of the beans are canned for human consumption. Essentially none is used for animal
feed.
FORAGE CROPS
Forage Legumes
The primary forage legume is alfalfa - Medicago sativa L. Grown mainly on better drained sites.
Birdsfoot trefoil - Lotus corniculatus L. grown on poorly drained sites. Seed production in the Upper Peninsula.
Both are perennials.
Production of alfalfa is distributed throughout the state.
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest for hay or ensilage up to 7 times per year.
Primarily fed to cattle.
Forage grasses
Main grasses used for forage are bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), orchard
grass (Dactylis glomerata L.), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) and timothy (Phleum pratense
L.). All are perennials.
Generally grown in combination with alfalfa. (?)
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest for hay or ensilage, but limited to 2 cuttings per year.
Utilized by cattle and horses.
ROOT CROPS
Two main root crops are sugar beet and potato.
Sugar beet
Latin name is Beta vulgaris L.
Production is mainly in Saginaw Valley and Thumb area of Michigan (Figure 5).
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest from late September through early November.
Sucrose is extracted for utilization by humans with by-products pulp and molasses used for animal feed.
Potato
Latin name is Solani tuberosum L.
Production is scattered throughout the state (Figure 6).
Soil preparation, fertilization, weed control and planting.
Harvest in mid-summer for fresh market. Most harvested late September to early November.
Utilized fresh for table use, processed for chips and other snack foods.
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1.
Example yield potential for various corps grown on well drained soils of different textural classes in
southern Michigan without irrigation.
All figures are envisioned as maps with scatter diagrams showing distribution.
Figure 1.
Distribution of corn production in the state of Michigan.
Figure 2.
Distribution of wheat production in the state of Michigan.
Figure 3.
Distribution of soybean production in the state of Michigan.
Figure 4.
Distribution of dry edible bean production in the state of Michigan.
Figure 5.
Distribution of sugar beet production in the state of Michigan.
Figure 6.
Distribution of potato production in the state of Michigan.