Smith pioneered the use in Utah of safflower, an oilseed, as a more drought-tolerant summer crop. The plant resembles a small, bushy sunflower with a yellow blossom, prickly stems and a vigorous taproot system. Following a final light disking, Smith drills in safflower. After trying many rates both higher and lower, he says 25 pounds of seed per acre gives the most dependable, cost-effective stand. If weed pressure is high, he uses a pre-plant incorporated broad spectrum herbicide.
Safflower develops slowly at first, when weed control is most critical.
Its bushy leaves provide late-season weed control. The final result is usually weed pressure similar to wheat, he says, but with a suppression effect on goatgrass. He uses the wheat head on his combine to harvest safflower in October and hopes for a yield of 1,000 pounds per acre. Net profit per acre is a bit lower than for wheat, but the second crop serves a valuable weed-fighting role. He treats the harvested safflower fields the same as wheat lands, tilling just enough to control weeds through the following winter and summer fallow seasons.