By the second winter, winter wheat and jointed goatgrass residue becomes very fragile and most of the weed seed will contact the soil and germinate. Till early enough in the fall to get the jointed goatgrass to germinate. Fall tillage will reduce the amount of snow trapped over the winter months. A disadvantage of tillage is crop residue is destroyed and soil moisture is lost. Maintaining crop residue through the high wind months of March, April, and May is important in reducing soil loss and may be required for conservation compliance.
Some producers use herbicides early to retain crop residues.
They use tillage later to prepare the seedbed and cultivate sunflower. Check with the proper agencies to make sure you meet program requirements. Jointed goatgrass must be killed with herbicides or tillage before planting the spring-planted crop. This insures no new seed is added to the weed seedbank. This has been a weak link in weed management in past years.