Is Soybean-Small Grain the only Doublecrop Option?

Content of an article in Missouri Ruralist titled One profitable reason to skip double-crop soybeans by Laura Handke offers yet another economic viewpoint that should be considered when thinking about planting soybeans after wheat in a doublecrop [DC] production system. And this viewpoint involves animals, or in this case, cattle. This alternative to the traditional soybean-small grain DC system also involves cover crops [CC] since they can be grown as a forage crop for animal grazing during the summer months following wheat harvest in the Midsouth.

In previous articles posted on this website, two things pertaining to production agriculture have usually been highlighted. They are 1) genetics of the soybean plant must be the “go-to” solution for the myriad issues this important crop faces, and 2) the profitability of a production system or cost of inputs to that system should determine if something should or should not be done. The remainder of this article will deal with the second item.

The above-linked article poses an interesting point for Midsouth producers who normally doublecrop soybeans after wheat harvest. And that is this–maybe there is a more profitable DC system that does not involve this traditional approach. In this case, the author states “high cattle prices are prompting Missouri farmers to consider alternatives after wheat harvest, including cover crops as a cost- effective option instead of double-crop soybeans. This unconventional approach offers both economic and agronomic benefits for diversified farming operations”.

Of course, this alternative approach posed by the author depends on 1) the availability of and costs associated with livestock to graze the CC that may be planted after wheat, 2) the cost of inputs for a soybean crop that usually follows wheat in a DC system in the Midsoouth vs. that for the livestock-CC option, 3) the potential return from grazing cattle on a CC vs. that from soybeans that normally follow wheat in the traditional DC system, and 4) the availability and cost of seed of a CC species that will produce a palatable crop suitable for animal grazing.

Many Midsouth soybean producers may not have ready access to the livestock that will be needed for this alternative DC approach, so they will need to explore options such as availability of grazing animals that can be brought to their farm, and the associated costs.

In today’s farming environment of high costs for inputs needed to produce a soybean crop, the low yield from soybeans that will be planted after wheat, and the uncertainty of the soybean market, producers should consider unconventional alternatives such as that proposed in the above article to ensure that their operation has the best chance for profitability.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, May 2025, larryho1746@gmail.com