GrainsWest Fall 2019

Fall 2019 Grains West 8 THE FARMGATE FARMER INTEREST IN VARIOUS crops heats up and cools down from year to year. One crop that consistently gets the cold shoulder, however, is winter wheat. This has prompted some to ask why, and how can we break the ice in making win- ter wheat a hot commodity. “In Western Canada, winter wheat rep- resents a fairly small share of total wheat production,” said Daniel Ramage, director of market development for Cereals Cana- da. “Alberta is a prime example as winter Arecipe forhot cereal Bringing winter wheat in from the cold wheat accounts for just over one per cent of all wheat grown in the province. Those small volumes affect how winter wheat can be used. At present, the crop is primarily employed as a cost cutter to be blended with other wheat varieties in mill- ing, as well as for feed and ethanol.” Statistics Canada estimated total Prairie plantings at 250,000 acres in 2018, down from 335,000 acres in 2017 and 535,000 acres in 2016. To understand the limited state of winter wheat production today, it’s important to consider both economics and agronomics. YIELDING RESULTS “Historically, the yield advantage of win- ter wheat meant good returns for farmers, even with a discounted price,” said Paul Thoroughgood, regional agrologist for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Unfortunately, the gap between winter and spring wheat has widened in recent years, causing seeding efforts around winter wheat to decrease.” From an agronomic standpoint, the challenges of growing winter wheat are twofold. “With longer-season canola varieties taking up more of the growing season, and some challenging conditions in the fall in recent years, producers are not getting their crops off as early as they’d like to,” said Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist for the Alberta Wheat Commission. “This makes it more difficult to get a fall-seeded crop like winter wheat in as its ideal seeding window is prior to the end of September.” The necessity of seeding winter wheat into stubble presents another obstacle for farmers. “Canola is the best stubble for winter wheat. Silage barley and peas are also good options, but beyond that, there are limited choices when seeding winter wheat in Alberta,” said Boychyn. “If you don’t have the proper stubble you’re not likely to grow winter wheat.” In spite of the roadblocks, winter wheat holds appeal for a number of farmers and there is a strong case for raising its profile as a crop option. REAPING REWARDS “Adding winter wheat to the rotation in Western Canada provides many agronom- ic benefits,” said Boychyn. “Having anoth- er cereal in the rotation—especially one seeded in the fall—can help capture some of that spring moisture, so farms need not do all of their seeding in the spring. Spreading out the work that way helps farmers get all their crops in the ground. It can also help reduce weed resistance Whilewinter wheat acreage has been decreasing, its boosters areworking to reverse this trend. Photo:CourtesyofDucksUnlimitedCanada