Winter wheat adds diversity and risk management to crop mix

Cam Greig likes winter wheat for a number of reasons, especially when Mother Nature threatens the entire crop year with uncooperative conditions during spring seeding.

“I remember in 2011, 2013 and 2014, we weren’t able to spring seed an acre or could only seed a portion of our acres,” says the third generation farmer from Reston, Manitoba. “Winter wheat was a very useful management tool. We needed a crop to use the moisture so we went full into winter wheat.”

Greig is co-owner in Avondale Seed Farm, a family-operated business that’s provided pedigree seed to Manitoba farmers since the 1970s. He’s grown winter wheat “for as long as I can remember” and recommends the crop to customers for three reasons.

We view winter wheat as a way to diversify our crop rotation, maximize our equipment and manage risk.

— Cam Greig, Avondale Seed Farm, Reston MB
Jake Ayre also calls winter wheat a triple win. “For all farms, it is a very profitable crop. And it’s good agronomically. And it’s good environmentally, increasing the farm’s bio-diversity,” says the co-owner of Southern Seed Ltd. near Minto, Manitoba.

Sown in the fall following the harvest of spring crops, winter wheat does present a change-up to the usual farm routine. Manitoba Agriculture recommends seeding into canola stubble to ensure the crop endures the winter months, although barley, oat and pea stubble are also suitable.

“We noticed on our farm that desiccation of canola was taking a long time,” says Ayre. “So instead of desiccating and straight-cutting our canola, we went back to swathing. We were better able to control the amount of stubble we were leaving for the winter wheat.”

Greig says farmers who already cash-crop wheat, canola or oats will find winter wheat an easy addition because no extra specialized equipment is needed. And winter wheat can benefit soil health and the vitality of spring crops.