Howell Farm planted two different varieties this year. The wheat in the first photo below shares characteristics with older varieties of wheat -- it will grow taller than modern wheat varieties with a long beard protecting the heads. The wheat in the second photo has characteristics more typical of modern wheat crops -- it will grow shorter, and although it also has a beard, the beard will be shorter.
The farmers at Howell Farm are interested to observe the results of this experiment. Which variety will grow the best, which will yield the most grain, which will be easiest to harvest with historical equipment, and which will prove to be the most resistant to grazing deer?
Now that its May, its time to check in on the progress of the two crops. I walked through the two fields this morning and, unscientifically, picked out stalks that I thought looked fairly representative of the field as a whole.
So far, to my eye, it looks like the varieties are growing much as expected. "The old-time" variety is definitely taller -- 8 to 10 inches taller. But the grain head of the more modern variety is packed with many more wheat kernels, and each individual kernel is a little larger as well. The stalk of the modern variety is also slightly thicker.
A benefit of the modern wheat variety, as one might guess, is that it should yield more grain per acre. But the "old-time variety" will yield more straw per acre.
The coloration of the wheat plants is exactly the same.
Beard length: Each of the varieties is supposed to have a beard (which allegedly deters hungry deer) but the beard on the old time variety is expected to be longer. This appears to be the case, but the difference is not dramatic. The beard on the old-time variety appears larger partly because the grain head is comparatively smaller.