Even though seeding time is still months away for winter wheat, now is a good time to start planning, said agronomist Ron Heller, who works with Alberta Reduced Tillage Linkages’ northeast region.
Since fall can be hectic, sourcing seed and ordering fertilizer months in advance can save headaches. Also, farmers should ask themselves if they will be ready to direct seed in September and whether the crop will be off in time.
To get good results, adequate snow cover is also important, Heller said.
Winter wheat acreage has been rising steadily as more farmers recognize the advantages of direct seeding winter wheat into standing stubble left over from spring seeded crops.
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Last year, Statistics Canada reported that 1.2 million acres of winter wheat were seeded across Canada, up 60 percent from 2005.
Higher demand for feed wheat and the emerging ethanol market are two reasons to consider winter wheat production, said Heller, a part-time farmer from Vermilion, Alta.
“One of the greatest benefits is the fit with crop rotation,” he said.
“It’s not so much the extra money, because it’s not a fancy crop to grow with high return, but it contributes to the overall farm plan.”
Early seeding is key. When a farmer is pushing hard to seed high value crops such as peas, canola or hard red spring wheat during a wet spring, having a percentage of their acres already finished can reduce the pressure.
“Fall seeding allows farmers to optimize machinery and workload by spreading out field operations,” Heller added.
Any timing inconvenience is usually offset by the economic benefit of balanced cash flow and reduced input costs.
“For example, if a wild oat herbicide application can be eliminated, or more timely spring seeding improves the quality of another crop, the contribution of fall-seeding winter wheat in rotation makes the farmer’s net return a bit stouter,” Heller said.
Newer varieties of winter wheat offer improved winter hardiness, less lodging, better disease resistance, higher yield, superior quality and marketing opportunities beyond other conventional milling or feed wheat types.
“Farmers who may have tried winter wheat unsuccessfully years ago may want to have another look now, and take advantage of what this crop really has to offer.”
Necessary precautions for first-time winter wheat growers include ensuring good residue management from the prior crop, doing a pre-seed burn off, precision-placing fertilizer with a double-shoot seeding opener and fall spraying for winter annual weeds.
Shallow seeding no more than an inch deep into stubble offers the best results. Seeding after Sept. 15 increases the risk of winter kill.
Heller said that even though returns from winter wheat may be lower than for hard red spring wheat, the operational diversity it brings to a cropping system makes for a competitive strategy against weeds, insect or disease cycles.
