Winter wheat acres are expected to rebound this year.
Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Canada, is forecasting a modest increase in plantings after a big drop last fall.
“My seed people tell me there’s reasonable demand for seed,” he said.
Davidson believes growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan will plant 325,000 to 350,000 acres in each province, and Alberta farmers will provide about 170,000 to 200,000 acres.
That would result in about 850,000 acres prairie-wide, which is 27 percent more than what went in the ground last fall but below the previous five-year average of one million acres.
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Last year’s fall planting was hampered by a long, drawn-out harvest.
Davidson said growers are blessed by an open fall in most areas this year and are excited about planting some of the new varieties such as Emerson, AAC Gateway and Moats.
Winter wheat is seeded mainly on canola stubble. Some canola fields were harvested earlier than usual this year, but others were delayed because they were reseeded be-cause of spring frost and flooding.
Davidson has spoken to farmers who will be seeding winter wheat on pea or soybean stubble because of the lack of available canola stubble. Some brave souls are even considering planting the crop on chemfallow fields.
Harvest rain has also been a complicating factor in certain areas this year.
“There’s so many people where I am, their spring wheat crops are swathed and lying there dropping in grade, so their priority if they get a good day is going to be they’re going to jump on the combine,” said Davidson, whose office is in Minnedosa, Man.
The good news is that adequate soil moisture is available to provide the new winter wheat crop with a good start. As well, August and September have been warm.
“If (the crop) was in the ground, I would think that would give you a kick-start,” he said.
Most winter wheat planting takes place between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15 in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, so most of the crop is already in the ground, and David-son believes it is in good shape heading into fall.
This year’s yields of 60 to 80 bushels per acre in Manitoba were disappointing, considering that it is not uncommon to harvest 120 bu. yields in the lush Red River Valley region.
The good news for Manitoba growers is that fusarium infection levels are low and protein levels are high.
Saskatchewan Agriculture is forecasting a provincial average of 37 bu. per acre, ranging from a high of 44 in the southeast to a low of 24 in the southwest.
Shannon Friesen, cropping management specialist with the province, said that is about an average crop. She hasn’t heard any complaints about quality.
“We did hear from a few producers that yields were much better on their winter cereals than they were on their spring cereals,” she said.
Friesen expects acres will be up in Saskatchewan compared to last fall, which was one of the smallest crops in a long while.
“This year, especially in the south, there has already been a number of acres seeded simply because we could actually take the previous crop off in time,” she said.
Harry Brook, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said growers in his province were disappointed with their winter wheat crops.
“It was hurt by the drought,” he said.
Heads were small and not plentiful and the crop was shorter than usual.
Brook said there was plenty of opportunity for growers to seed winter wheat because harvest was early this year in Alberta. However, wheat prices have not been tantalizing, so he expects a normal crop of 170,000 to 200,000 acres.
