The Southern Great Plains (SGP) region of the United States is widely known for its dryland dual-purpose winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping systemsintegrated systems that provide both livestock grazing and grain production. Few of these systems are organic, however, and no relevant research had been conducted on this topic. A large-scale (41 ha) systems research study was conducted for 3 yr (2018-2021) to compare a transitional organic dual-purpose wheat system with a conventional one, with system management components customized to the ecological region. Organic wheat yield was 20% lower than conventional in the first season of organic transition, but there was no yield difference by the third year.The yield improvement in the organic system may be attributed to N fixation by a legume-based cash crop the previous winter season, exogenous nutrients from application of composted manure, and appropriate wheat cultivar selection. Because of limited moisture, relying on annual establishment of summer cover crops to fix N and deliver other ecosystem services in the organic system was not feasible in most years. Grain protein concentration (GPC) of the transitional organic wheat ranged from 91 to 103 g kg −1 , below the 120 g kg −1 threshold for a food market organic price premium. More intensive N management, including in-season application of a more available form of N that is organic approved, could be an effective strategy to increase GPC. This proof-of-concept study shows that organic dual-purpose wheat systems can be a viable enterprise in the SGP, though additional research is needed to address challenges identified herein. INTRODUCTIONAmong all grain crops, more acreage of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been produced organically in the United States since 1995 than all other countries (McBride et al.

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Dual‐purpose wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) production systems (i.e., graze and grain) are prevalent in the U.S. Southern Great Plains region, though few of them are managed organically and organic research is very limited, particularly on forage and grazing aspects of the system. Therefore, the objective of this 3‐year systems study (2018–2021) conducted near Vernon, TX, was to compare forage production, forage nutritive value, and cattle gains in transitional organic and conventional dual‐purpose wheat systems. Forage data were collected each year during the early‐season dual‐purpose grazing period until maturity. Monthly standing crop biomass, rate of forage production, and forage nutritive value did not differ during the grazing period between systems in any year. Limited early‐season precipitation resulted in slow forage growth in all years and inadequate forage production to support grazing in 2 of 3 years. In the year when grazing occurred (2018–2019), cattle performance did not differ between systems. Following the dual‐purpose grazing period, the organic system trended toward lower forage production and crude protein concentration than the conventional system, suggesting that in a “graze‐out” scenario (i.e., season‐long grazing and no grain production), the organic system might not support as much cattle production. The late‐season divergence between systems could likely be minimized or eliminated by improving N availability in the organic system. Agronomic viability of the organic system, in terms of forage production, nutritive values, and cattle gains, was supported by its overall similarity to the conventional system.