SASKATOON (Staff) – Many Saskatchewan farmers who have had bad experiences with winter cereal crops, particularly winter wheat, may wonder why they should grow them again.
Lesley McCallum, president of Saskatchewan Winter Cereal Growers, said there’s all the right reasons for growing these crops, but admits educating farmers will be key to the group’s efforts.
With proper management, winter cereals are good crops to grow in the 1990s. Not only are they capturing better prices than they once did, but they also:
- Spread out the workload. “We are trying to farm more land without additional labor, without additional capital investment, in order to reduce our fixed costs on a per acre basis.”
- Respond to environmental concerns. Growing winter cereals is a way to manage weeds and insects without herbicides and insecticides. They compete with wild oats and also provide habitat for waterfowl.
- Conserve soil. Winter cereals are seeded into standing stubble, preventing wind and water erosion and holding moisture.
- McCallum says some disillusioned growers have blamed the crop when they should have been taking a look at crop management.
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“People in the past have done things to their winter cereal crops that they would never have considered doing to their spring crops,” she said, such as seeding the crop late and using little or no fertilizer.
