Spelt
Triticum aestivum var. spelta
Cool-season hulled wheat sub-species (Triticum aestivum var. spelta) grown primarily as a winter-planted small grain in Zones 3-9. Marketed as a feed grain (hulls retained, similar feed value to oats) or de-hulled for the artisan and specialty-bakery flour market. More winter-hardy than soft red winter wheat but less so than hard red winter wheats; tolerates lower-fertility and somewhat poorly-drained soils where conventional wheat struggles.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Hulls remain attached after threshing and represent 20-30% of grain weight; unhulled test weight is ~28 lb/bu, hulled test weight ~60 lb/bu. Most production is from winter-type cultivars planted on a winter-wheat schedule (early- to mid-fall in temperate zones); spring spelt cultivars are rare. Seeding rate ~80-100 lb/acre with a grain drill. Nitrogen requirements run roughly 10-20 lb/acre lower than wheat — taller pithy stems lodge under excess N. Disease pressure overlaps wheat (loose smut, stinking smut, leaf rust); rotation away from other cereals is recommended. Two common market channels: contracted feed-grain sales (price often tracks oats on a per-pound basis) and contracted food-grade production for de-hulling and specialty flour. Identify a buyer before planting.
Growing Season
- Plant
- early fall – mid-fall
- Harvest
- mid-summer – late summer
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,800 – 2,200
Yield
- Typical yield
- 50 bu/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 5 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend not recorded for this crop.
Supply Below Demand
No buyer network on record — cannot establish that regional demand absorbs additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
0 recorded buyers and 3 documented market channels. Thin — dependent on few outlets.
Value-Added Potential
3 documented market channels, including value-added and direct-to-consumer routes.
Market Growth Projected
Mature grain market; growth over a 5-year horizon expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-9; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1800 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~18 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop frost-free requirement not recorded. Region provides ~180 days.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 7 hardiness zones (3-9). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
10 documented equipment requirements. Within range adaptable from general row-crop or orchard equipment.
Storage Available
2 documented storage/handling requirements, all achievable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~18 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
grain crops need large contiguous acreage to be economic; the region's parcels are typically small and fragmented by topography.
Labor Availability
5 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Standard small-grain drill with 6-8 inch row spacing. Spelt seeds are larger than wheat; check seed cup calibration. No-till drills work well in cover-crop residue.
Sufficient HP for drill, sprayer, and tillage operations on small-grain acreage. Used equipment widely available.
cultivation
For conventional seedbed preparation when not using no-till. Single-pass tools (vertical tillage, light disk) preferred to preserve soil structure.
spraying
Pull-behind boom sprayer for herbicide and fungicide applications. Critical for FHB/scab fungicide timing at flowering.
harvesting
Used or shared combine acceptable for small acreage. Settings: lower cylinder speed (500-700 RPM) and wider concave for hulled spelt to avoid de-hulling damage during threshing.
Field-side transfer between combine and trucks. Reduces combine downtime and field traffic.
post_harvest
Used straight truck or hopper trailer for moving grain from field to bin or buyer. Tarpable. Sized 200-500 bu typical for small-grain operation.
Per-bin cost (3,000-5,000 bu). On-farm storage gives marketing flexibility — critical for niche grains where buyers may want delivery throughout the year.
Roller or impact-style de-huller. On-farm de-hulling captures premium pricing. Custom toll de-hulling (~$0.05-0.15/lb) is common alternative for small acreages.
general
Handheld unit for monitoring at harvest and during storage. Essential to avoid storage spoilage; spelt should be stored at 14% moisture or below.
Storage Requirements
Dry grain, bin/silo (cool, dry)
Temperature
40–60°F
Humidity
55–65%
Max Storage
365 days
Hulled (in-hull) grain, cool dry
Temperature
40–60°F
Humidity
55–65%
Max Storage
540 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $528.97/ac vs catalog median $5,500/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost $403.76/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $5,387/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 0 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $25.04 ($125.21/ac over 5 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Above median.
Grants/Subsidies
No specialty-crop or cover-crop incentive program identified for this grain crop.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $17/per cwt (organic, in-hull; insurance claim-price basis) |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $529 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $354/acre |
| Establishment Cost | —/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $404/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $125 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Agricorp 2026 fall-seeded PI claim price (organic winter spelt, CAD $0.51/kg); costs from Ontario Publication 60, 2025 Field Crop Budgets; CAD→USD at IRS annual-average rates (2026)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
10 documented risk factors. Within the range manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
0 buyers, 3 channels. Concentrated — a single buyer exit would strand the crop.
Low Establishment Risk
0 years to full production. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-9 (7 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a grain revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Fusarium graminearum infects flowering heads in warm, wet conditions. Causes bleached spikelets, low test weight, and accumulation of deoxynivalenol (DON/vomitoxin) which restricts food and feed use. A primary disease concern for spelt and other small grains.
Zymoseptoria tritici and Parastagonospora nodorum produce lens-shaped lesions on leaves and glumes. Pre-flag-leaf infection reduces grain fill; can cost 15-25% yield in wet years.
Ustilago tritici is seed-borne; infected heads emerge with sooty masses of black spores instead of grain. Plant losses are direct and visible. Less common where certified seed is used but a recurring concern in farm-saved seed.
Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici produces white fuzzy growth on leaves and stems, especially in dense canopies and humid weather. Spelt is generally less susceptible than modern wheat but not immune.
pest
Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid and English Grain Aphid feed on leaves and heads. Direct-feeding damage is usually modest, but aphids transmit Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) which can cause stunting and yield loss of 10-30% in fall-infected stands.
Mayetiola destructor larvae feed in leaf sheaths, causing stunting and lodging. Risk concentrates when fall planting precedes the local Hessian Fly Free Date.
weather
Spelt produces tall straw (often 4-5 ft) and is more prone to lodging than modern wheat varieties, especially when over-fertilized with nitrogen or in high-rain seasons. Lodged crops are difficult to combine and downgrade in test weight.
Prolonged wet weather at maturity can cause grain sprouting in the head, ruining milling quality. Spelt held in the hull is somewhat protected but extended wet periods still reduce grade.
market
Spelt is a niche specialty grain. Most production is contracted to specific organic millers or specialty bakeries. Without a contract, finding a buyer at harvest can be difficult and prices may default to feed-grade.
Spelt grain remains in a tight hull after combining and must be de-hulled before milling. De-hulling capacity is limited and geographically concentrated. Without access to de-hulling, growers can only sell hulled grain (often at feed prices).
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Spelt against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Purdue / University of Wisconsin–Madison Alternative Field Crops Manual — Spelt (Oplinger, Oelke, Kaminski, Kelling, Doll, Durgan, Schuler, 1990). URL: https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/spelt.html. Yield, test-weight, seeding-rate, and fertility values reflect that source; market-channel commentary cross-checked against contemporary USDA AMS specialty-grain marketing references.
Economics data year: 2026 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
10 tracked changes across 6 data categories