Joe Millar wonders what it would be like to park his combine during harvest and then hitch onto an air seeder.
He will find out for the first time this fall when he seeds a quarter section of his farm to winter wheat.
Millar, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, began farming in Manitoba four years ago. The idea of seeding winter wheat in the fall intrigues him.
“I would like to try it,” said Millar, who farms near Alexander, Man. He thinks it would give him another break in his crop rotations of spring wheat, canola, flax and peas. Weed control is one of the biggest challenges he faces at his farm.
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“It would be hard to stop the combine and then start seeding again,” he said during the recent Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Workshop in Brandon.
The workshop gave Millar a chance to learn more about growing winter wheat in a zero-till system.
Daryl Domitruk, a land management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, offered a checklist of things that farmers should consider when growing the crop.
Domitruk noted that zero tillage offers a good backdrop for growing winter wheat in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The stubble left in the fall helps to trap snow, creating a blanket of insulation in the winter.
The best crop to direct seed into is canola, Domitruk said. The canola stubble will not carry diseases such as leaf spot, which winter wheat is susceptible to. Canola is usually harvested early enough to allow time for the seeding of winter wheat.
Before seeding, spray out all grass weeds and volunteer wheat with an application of Roundup. Also apply 2,4-D in the fall for weeds such as stinkweed and shepherd’s purse, if they’re a concern.
The best seeding dates, according to Domitruk, are between Aug. 25 and Sept. 20. He recommended seeding winter wheat at a depth equivalent to that of a loonie. Planting too deep can result in less vigorous plants because they use more energy reaching the surface and will emerge later.
High nitrogen rates are important to the yield and protein of winter wheat. Nitrogen can be spring broadcast at rates in the range of 100 pounds per acre of actual nitrogen. Phosphorus should be applied with the seed at planting time.
The crop’s hardiness to cold weather gradually builds up until Christmas. The plants can then withstand soil temperatures of
– 23 C, which is seldom reached in Manitoba’s grain belt.
Winter wheat rarely suffers winter kill in November and December. The crop is more vulnerable in February and March, especially if the snow cover melts or blows away. The crop loses hardiness to cold temperatures as it gears up for spring.
Potential problems
Domitruk also stressed the importance of field selection. Low-
lying areas can pose a problem.
If the snow melts in early spring when the crop is growing and getting re-established, the water may pool in low areas. If the water freezes, the ice can cut off the winter wheat’s oxygen supply, killing the plants.
Norstar used to be one of the most common types of winter wheat grown in Western Canada. It has since been replaced by tall semi-dwarf varieties, with improved winter hardiness and higher protein. However, the crops are susceptible to diseases such as fusarium and leaf spot.
During last week’s workshop, Domitruk cited four of the semi-dwarf varieties and some of their traits: CDC Kestrel, CDC Clair (which yields better protein compared to Kestrel), CDC Harrier, and CDC Osprey, which also shows good protein content but is susceptible to rust.
New varieties will soon be available, offering improved disease resistance and higher protein yields.
“What we need in winter wheat are new varieties,” Domitruk said, “and we’re getting them.”
The interest in winter wheat has climbed steadily on the Prairies.
Domitruk views that as a good thing, giving agricultural know-how a chance to keep pace with the crop’s expansion.
“We haven’t seen a major spike yet,” he said. “What we’ve seen is a gradual building in interest.”
