Hard white wheat and hard red wheat - Ask Extension
Can you tell me why we don’t grow hard white wheat in the willamette valley? My family farms in the Pratum area near Silverton. We grow primarily gr...
Knowledgebase
Hard white wheat and hard red wheat #772603
Asked September 21, 2021, 6:37 PM EDT
Can you tell me why we don’t grow hard white wheat in the willamette valley? My family farms in the Pratum area near Silverton. We grow primarily grass seed and blueberries. Dad has done soft white wheat but not hard wheats. I’m interested in providing local grain for artisan bread baking.
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Why growing hard wheat isn't economical in the Willamette Valley.
After speaking with our crop specialist, this is what she had to say about growing hard wheat in the valley.
"Our rainfall amounts are too high here to make the protein specs required for hard wheat sales. They are quite high for things like bread making. It takes 200+ pounds per acre of nitrogen to be able to meet those protein specs and that makes wheat growing not very economical. Soft white is the opposite situation. Protein specs are low and our high rainfall environment allows us to grow low protein white wheat economically with very high quality."
