Some brands of 2,4-D ester also can be applied at 1 quart per acre after hard dough stage of small grains as a harvest aid and to reduce weed infestation in the following doublecrop. Herbicides for control of grass weeds in small grains are not registered for use in Nebraska. As a result, summer annual grasses will be present in oats and barley stubble, less so in winter wheat. Other Possible First Crops. Besides winter wheat, oats, and barley, other crops could be considered.
Winter rye is more common than wheat in northern Nebraska.
Rye cut for forage generally can be harvested a few days earlier than oats or barley planted in spring, an advantage for the second crop. Winter triticale could be used rather than rye. Some companies market forage mixtures such as spring triticale plus field peas, which are suitable as the first crop in a doublecrop program. These crops would generally be harvested by June 20 in northern Nebraska and earlier further south. Limited research at the Northeast Research Center at Concord has shown that some field pea species could be monoseeded in early spring and used as a one-cut forage.