Triticale
Since pioneering triticale seed production in western Kansas in the early 1990s, Ehmke Seed has been the leader and trusted triticale seed source for farmers, ranchers, feedlots and dairies throughout the High Plains.
Why Triticale?
Today, triticale is increasing in popularity as growers recognize the benefits of this wheat-rye cross compared to other forages like wheat, including greater drought hardiness, more tons of feed per acre, more production per acre-inch of irrigated water, or more pounds of milk/acre or milk/ton with lactating dairy cows. Plus, this hardy crop has much better disease and insect resistance. That means you can plant triticale earlier than wheat with less risk and extend your grazing season.
But, not all triticales were created equal! Ehmke Seed’s Thunder Brand™ triticales consistently rank high year after year in forage production, irrigation efficiency and milk production efficiency in dairy cows at the New Mexico State University Winter Annual Small Grain Forages trials in Clovis, NM.
NMSU Winter Annual Small Grain Forages Trial Results
Why Thunder Brand™ ?
In 2015, ThunderTall™ took 1st place again for the second time in silage production with an astounding 21.7 tons/acre! Not only that, ThunderTall™ set an all-time record in dairy milk production at 20,701 lbs/acre!
Here’s our impressive line-up of triticales that can fit whatever forage program you need:
NEW Jackalope Brand™ Elbon Rye
In Oklahoma they say, “Elbon is anything we don’t know what it is.” That is until Jackalope Brand™ Elbon Rye came along! This is the real deal…and available only through Ehmke Seed, Healy KS.
ThunderCale F™ (Fredro)
A new Polish triticale that excels in grazing programs often scoring 17% in crude protein with 66.7% TDN at the boot stage. And, of course, being from Poland, it has excellent winter hardiness!
Short Beard Thunder™
Short Beard is a superior awnletted (has short beards) triticale for grazeout, hay or silage, similar to Thundercale™. Like other Thunder lines, Short Beard Thunder™ has excellent winterhardiness and standability.
ThunderCale™
#1 in grazeout ratings at the KSU Ag Research Center, Hays, Kan.
ThundeCale V™
#1 in irrigation efficiency (NMSU 2013), #1 in milk production efficiency (NMSU 2012), top-tier forage production (NMSU 2013, 2014) and milk production efficiency (NMSU 2011, 2014), top-tier in grazeout ratings (KSU)
ThunderGreen™ Rye
If you’re looking for eye-popping forage quality, you’ll find it with this Polish rye variety. In NMSU trials, crude protein is off the charts running between 17% and 19% with TDN near 70% at boot. Forage tonnage simply embarrasses the best wheat varieties!
ThunderTall™
#1 in forage production (NMSU 2015, 2011), #1 in milk production efficiency (NMSU 2015, 2011), top-tier in forage production (NMSU 2012, 2013, 2014) and milk production efficiency (NMSU 2013, 2014)
ThunderTall II™
#1 in forage production (NMSU 2013 and 2018), #1 in milk production efficiency (NMSU 2013), top-tier forage production (NMSU 2011, 2012) and milk production efficiency (NMSU 2011)
Beef Grazing
For grazing programs, ThunderCale™ is clearly your top choice. Thundercale™ won first place in grazeout ratings at the KSU Ag Research Center trials in Hays, Kan., with a score of 58.25 , while ThunderCale V™ came in second with a score of 56.50 (a graze-out score of +50 is good). Both varieties also rank high in forage production under irrigation at NMSU, making either variety a good fit for combining fall grazing with spring haying or silage.
For the serious cattleman, consider our top-selling grazing blend, ThunderGraze Extra™, which is a blend of Thundercale™, winter-hardy rye and fast-emerging spring triticale to maximize tonnage and extend the grazing season.
Hay/Silage
For dairy operators who want to improve feed efficiency for their lactating dairy cows, it’s no contest. Our tall late-season maturity triticale, ThunderTall™, blew away the competition in the 2015 NMSU study in milk/acre. Dairy cows fed ThunderTall™ triticale produced an astounding 20,701 pounds of milk per acre of feed. That’s an all-time record! No other triticale comes close!
Grazing + Hay/Silage
If you want a good dual-purpose triticale that rates high on fall grazing AND produces good hay or silage tonnage in the spring, try our medium maturity Thundercale V™ triticale, which also excels in milk production efficiency and irrigation efficiency with consistently high tons of dry matter produced per acre-inch of water (NMSU 2012, 2013). As time goes on, crop characteristics like irrigation efficiency will become more and more crucial. This triticale performs year-in and year-out in the NMSU trials!