A program that could eventually broaden markets for winter wheat didn’t
live up to expectations in its first year, but the Canadian Wheat Board
isn’t discouraged.
The program offered a premium to winter wheat growers who last fall
planted one of eight varieties selected for good baking quality
characteristics.
The idea was to encourage more production of those varieties in Western
Canada so domestic and foreign markets could be expanded, especially
the milling markets.
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Twenty farmers signed up for the program last fall, but about half of
them had to drop out during this year’s growing season due to drought
and quality issues, said Patty Rosher, the wheat board’s senior program
manager in market development. There was also a challenge getting
enough certified seed to meet growers’ needs.
It’s not yet known how much winter wheat was grown by the producers who
remained in the program, although Rosher estimated last week it will
probably be about 1,000 tonnes.
That’s below the 5,000-10,000 tonnes hoped for after producers signed
onto the program last year.
Rosher said the volumes harvested will still offer an opportunity to
get samples of the selected winter wheat varieties into the hands of
wheat board customers wanting to gauge the merits of those grains.
While most customers likely will be in Canada, with some in the United
States, there might also be an opportunity to send some containers
overseas.
The smaller harvest means that few customers will have a chance this
year to sample the winter wheat grown under what is referred to as the
special CWRW (Canada Western Red Winter) market development program.
The program is in its second year. Sixty growers have already signed
up, and more may yet come on board.
Participating producers are given an incentive of an $8 per tonne
premium plus protein payments.
The premium was increased from last year to attract more grower
interest.
A challenge again this year, said Rosher, was finding enough certified
seed to satisfy growers’ planting
- eeds.
“If there was more certified seed available, there would probably be
more growers in the program.”
Bob Linnell, executive manager of Winter Cereals Canada, is encouraged
by the effort to broaden demand for winter wheat.
Due to current quality constraints, winter wheat typically is sold as
feed or blended with other wheats for the milling market.
Because of the special market development program, a clearer picture
should emerge as to what millers want from winter wheat, Linnell said.
“It should generate a better quality product.”
Among varieties selected for the program is Norstar, an older variety
that tends to yield good milling quality grain, although it has some
limitations on the agronomic side, particularly with resistance to
disease.
The other varieties chosen for the program are newer than Norstar and
have been bred to yield good milling quality grain while also offering
growers more of the agronomic traits that they want.
Those varieties include AC Readymade, AC Bellatrix, CDC Osprey, AC
Tempest, CDC Buteo, AC Radiant and McClintock.
Winter wheat is planted in the fall and, with adequate moisture, will
emerge and harden off before the onset of winter.
It is promoted as a way for growers to spread out their seeding and
harvest work. Because the crop typically establishes earlier in the
spring and flowers before spring-planted cereals, it tends to be less
susceptible to damage from wheat midge and crop diseases such as
fusarium head blight.
