GrainsWest Winter 2021

Winter 2021 grainswest.com 41 “It has special purposes. It’s used for baking biscuits, confectionary, cookies and crackers.” —Harpinder Randhawa nine to 10 per cent. Because of this lower protein content, CWSWS typically produces greater yield than CWRS. In fact, CWSWS yield is 10 to 20 per cent higher than CWRS. “When you’re breeding for Soft White wheat, you’re looking at the lower protein end of the spectrum, which means you have a chance to increase yield,” said Rhandawa. While breeding efforts are focused on milling quality, CWSWS is also used to produce ethanol, feed, silage and malt, with the bulk of the Prairie crop being used for produce ethanol. It is a good fit for this market because it contains less protein and more starch that can be converted to alcohol than do other classes. This is naturally a characteristic valued by ethanol production facilities. Sometime in the mid-2000s, shortly after the ethanol wave began, western Canadian ethanol producers switched from corn to wheat as their preferred feedstock, as it was much more abundantly available in the region and more affordable. “You’re not getting a milling wheat price when you’re selling it, said Randhawa. “But that is compensated for by higher grain yield.” For those who grow the crop, being located close to an ethanol plant is ideal as this facilitates easy, direct delivery to the buyer. Varieties that have been most dominant in the broader marketplace include AC Andrew (available since 2007), Sadash (available since 2010), AAC Indus and AAC Paramount (both available since 2017). AAC Indus is especially attractive from a silage perspective while and AAC Paramount is suitable for milling, ethanol, malt and feed, said Randhawa. CWSWS ON THE FARM Brent Andersen has grown CWSWS for nearly 10 years. His 5,800-acre farm near Kitscoty is just a 30-minute drive from the Husky Grain Lloydminster Ethanol Plant, which makes delivery quick and easy. This year, Andersen devoted 1,000 acres to CWSWS production. While SWSWS varieties are prone to sprouting, he has not found this to be a problem. “We let everything stand and we straight cut it,” he said. “It’s definitely better than swathing it.” He said farmers in his area who have swathed the crop have experienced sprouting. Agronomically, Andersen doesn’t treat CWSWS much differently than he would CWRS. He applies fungicide protection to the crop and a 90-30-10-10 fertilizer blend. Although this is a relatively generous nutrient application, he hasn’t experienced any incidents of lodging. “It’s got to be a pretty productive year for it to lodge,” he said. Prices for CWSWS are typically lower than for CWRS, but Andersen said its yield is 15 bu/ac greater. “I find it easy to make up with yield,” he said. He added the anxiety that comes with trying to meet quality requirements for CWRS just isn’t worthwhile. Location played a big part in Andersen’s decision to grow CWSWS. His close proximity to Lloydminster has proved advantageous in terms of transporting his crop to market. “It’s a very easy crop to hit the specs for Husky and to move,” said Andersen. “I take it, drop it off, get my cheque and I’m done. It’s easy.” The Husky plant’s minimum requirements for CWSWS include 15 per cent moisture, although it will take up to 17 per cent with discount. In terms of bushel weight, the plant takes a minimum of 58 lbs/bu with a maximum of 0.06 per cent ergot. In 2019, the plant purchased 145,000 tonnes of soft white wheat. “We see a lot of variability in annual soft wheat consumption,” said Dawn Delaney, Husky communication manager. “We would happily take more soft white wheat if it was available and economically viable.” Delaney said Husky prefers the wheat because it is low in protein and high in starch, which increases ethanol production efficiency. “Soft White wheat has lower viscosity-increasing compounds than other varieties of wheat,” she said. “This makes ethanol production more cost-effective.” Photo:CourtesyofAgricultureandAgri-FoodCanada Photo:CourtesyofHarpinderRandhawa