Grainswest - Winter 2026

Winter 2026 Grains West 36 Without cereals to fill intervening years, farmers would quickly run out of options and paint themselves into a corner. Potatoes and sugar beets leave soil almost bare of plant residue, and repeated years of low residue crops under irrigation cause soil structure to deteriorate. Cereals add substantial residue that helps rebuild organic matter and produces soil conditions suitable for potatoes and sugar beets. Cereals also give farmers room to rotate herbicide groups and slow the spread of resistance. Potato Growers of Alberta ag relations director Ashley Wagenaar said cereals keep irrigated rotations grounded. In favour of higher value crops, cereal acres under irrigation declined between 1996 and 2016, to just under 35 per cent from around 45. However, they will remain a consistent component of four- to six-year rotations, said Wagenaar. “[Cereals are] the foundation of our healthy growing system,” she said. Cereals allow farmers to reduce tillage because they can be direct seeded with little soil disturbance. This gives the soil a break from the heavier tillage associated with potatoes and helps maintain soil structure. Wagenaar’s list of cereal crop benefits echoes Gillespie’s. Barley, fall rye and wheat help break weed, pest and disease cycles in high-value crops. Winter cereals add particular value as they reduce wind erosion and make use of shoulder season moisture. Their fibrous roots build organic matter after low residue crops, and they give farmers flexibility when water allocations tighten, allowing redirection of water toward thirstier crops. CEREALS IN ACTION Alison Davie and her husband Michael employ a diverse rotation that includes potatoes, seed canola and a wide mix of cereals, oilseeds and pulses on their 3,000 acres of owned and rented land south of Taber. On rented land, she prefers longer term agreements because lengthier contracts give her more options in the rotation. “I like to seek longer term rentals because it allows us to do more forward planning and tackle any challenges with rotational crops,” she said. The choice of cereal crops Davie grows each year are influenced by market conditions and agronomic considerations. While returns can be slim under irrigation, she said cereals play an important role in maintaining soil organic matter and long-term productivity within the rotation. Because potatoes leave little residue behind, she counts on subsequent wheat and barley crops to rebuild organic matter. Straw is chopped and incorporated to strengthen soil structure. She also employs cereals to mitigate erosion. “Potatoes leave the soil pretty vulnerable,” said Davie. “Winter wheat holds the soil in place over the winter.” Cereals also fit into her disease management plan. When sclerotinia is present in a canola field, she follows the crop with wheat or barley to diminish the disease’s presence. To thwart “I like to seek longer term rentals because it allows us to do more forward planning and tackle any challenges with rotational crops.” —Alison Davie tough to control pesticide-resistant weeds such as kochia, she sows fall rye, a competitive crop that establishes and matures rapidly. Not far from Davie, Brady Valgardson works within a different set of constraints. On his 2,500-acre farm, the availability of water and labour shape the incorporation of cereals within his rotation. Nearly all of his acres are under irrigation. He grows durum, malting barley, mustard, processing peas, sugar beets, sweet corn and winter wheat on a multi-year rotation. Many of the crops can only be grown on the same field once every four years. He grows more sugar beet acres than anything else, as the crop pays best, followed by sweet corn, processing peas and mustard. As on the Davie farm, cereals serve several agronomic roles in Valgardson’s operation. While sugar beets reduce soil organic matter, residue from wheat and barley, along with cover crops, rebuild biomass and reduce erosion. With just two full-time employees, cereals are a benefit to the farm’s labour demands. Incorporation of barley, durum and winter wheat staggers field work across the season and spreads labour demands ahead of beet harvest. FEATURE