Buck wheat

skeets

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BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
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SW Pa
Anybody ever try and grow buck wheat and harvest it? What problems, what good things,, anything
 

bucktail

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L1500DT, 6' king kutter back blade, boom, dirt scoop ford disk JD212
Jun 13, 2016
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MN
I believe you are too far north.
Don't think so. A neighbor grew it in midwest MN. His problems seemed to have more to do with organic farming practices from the 70s. He did a buckwheat millet rotation adding lentils later on.
Everything was weedy and looked like it needed nitrogen after he had farmed it a few years. Lots of wind erosion from extra spring tillage trying to knock the weeds back.
 

procraftmike

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1977 B7100DT w/B219 FEL
Jan 27, 2016
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Neenah, WI
Most people use buckwheat as a green manure....a soil builder, including myself. I have been planting it in WI, for my food plots for several years now. It is easy to establish, grows fast and provides great cover and weed suppression. It attracts pollinators like crazy, when it is flowering.
 

Bmyers

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I'm disappointed, I thought we would be discussing the Little Rascals. :(
 
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NCL4701

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L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
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Many years ago, grew about 10 acres of buckwheat in a blue clay creek bottom because there was a gap in the nectar and pollen flow for our bees and the buckwheat bloomed in that gap. Made a very dark, strong, high alcohol content honey which I kind of miss. No till wasn’t a thing back then, or if it was we didn’t know about it. We grew turnips in the fall and winter as a companion crop but didn’t harvest more than a few turnips and none of the buckwheat. The unharvested turnips were the fertilizer for the buckwheat. In the late spring, we plowed, disced, and dragged the fields. Then planted the buckwheat with a broadcast spreader. Buckwheat grew about like weeds. Did that for about 10 years before developers ran us off the farm.

Zero experience harvesting. Wouldn’t know where to start on harvesting.

All that may be useless but that’s all I know about it.
 

dlsmith

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BX2230, LA211
Nov 15, 2018
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Goshen, IN
Anybody ever try and grow buck wheat and harvest it? What problems, what good things,, anything
Don't know anything about growing it, but the farmer across the field used to grow 10 or 12 acres of it for the local water powered grist mill. They milled it for flour and sold it to support the mill, made great pancakes and waffles.
 

Old_Paint

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Dec 5, 2020
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AL
Me too.

I used to think Darla was cute....probably my first TV crush as a youngster...😊
I almost went there with the Little Rascals, but I see there was no need.
 

Oliver

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L2501, JD 3520
Feb 2, 2011
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Preston County, WV
I believe you are too far north.
Probably not as he's in southern PA. I'm in Preston County, WV right on the PA line and Preston's county seat (Kingwood) hosts the Buckwheat Festival every Fall.
Anyone who hasn't tasted good old, slightly sour, buckwheat cakes with maple syrup doesn't know what they're missing!
 
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skeets

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BX 2360 /B2601
Oct 2, 2009
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SW Pa
I was thinking more of food plots but the more I read if you dont have a combine set up witht he right screens,, and by hand yeah it works but damn that a lot of work, I figure the deer and turkeys might enjoy it though