Why Is Some Wheat Planted in the Fall?

This week on the Super Smart Farm Show, we're saying goodbye to summer and looking ahead to fall — and the crops that get planted when the weather cools down.

Most crops are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. However, some types of wheat follow a different schedule: They're planted in the fall and harvested in the early summer. This kind of crop is called winter wheat. Why does it grow on a different schedule? Don't the crops wither in the winter weather? What's vernalization and what does it have to do with any of this?

Join host Elmer and Winnie the wheat as they discuss what makes winter wheat different.

Do you have a question for the Super Smart Farm Show? Drop us a line at supersmart@lancasterfarming.com!

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In this episode of the Super Smart Farm Show, Elmer learns about winter wheat, a wheat variety planted in the fall rather than the spring. With help from Winnie the Winter Wheat, young listeners learn how winter wheat grows after fall planting, becomes dormant during the winter and undergoes vernalization, a cold period that helps the plant produce grain when growth resumes in spring. The episode explores the differences between winter wheat and spring wheat, explains how varieties such as hard red winter wheat and soft red winter wheat are used to make flour for bread, cakes and cookies, and reveals why winter wheat is harvested in early summer. Kids also learn how winter wheat works as a cover crop, helping prevent soil erosion, add plant material and nutrients to the soil, and compete with weeds. Interactive quiz questions reinforce lessons about vernalization, soft red winter wheat and global wheat production, making the episode an engaging introduction to wheat farming, crop production, cover crops, soil health, plant dormancy and agricultural science.