FULTON COUNTY, OHIO, Ohio — October is Harvest Month and you’ve probably seen farmers bringing in their corn and soybeans.
However, some farmers are still planting during October. Cover crops have been encouraged through the H2Ohio program, which asks area farmers to plant oats, alfalfa, rye and wheat over the winter to prevent erosion into the Maumee watershed.
Eric Richer is a fourth-generation farmer in Fulton County. He, his father and his brother plant about 1,000 acres of corn, soybeans and winter wheat.
There are six varieties of winter wheat and the Richers plant soft red winter wheat, which is perfect for Ohio weather. It's used to make flour for cookies, cakes, and other baking. They plant the wheat right after harvesting the soybeans, which keeps the fields in use year-round.
Richer said winter wheat has a double purpose as a cover crop but also brings in extra cash.
"We not only sell wheat and straw to neighbors for animal bedding, but it also provides excellent cover over wintering," Richer said. "Cover that holds nutrients in the soil in place through the winter and then the best part of it you’re familiar with the weather in northwest Ohio and it has helped us absorb those heavy costs of infrequent rainfall events.”
The winter wheat lays dormant until springtime when it starts growing until getting harvested early in the summer.
Half of the U.S. wheat production is exported, mostly to Mexico, China and Columbia.
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