Statistics Canada announces more than 1.2 million acres of winter wheat seeded

Regina, Sask.– Ducks Unlimited applauds Prairie producers that took note of the agricultural benefits of winter wheat and seeded more than 1.2 million acres of winter wheat this fall, providing breeding grounds waterfowl habitat with a tremendous boost in the process. This represents a 60 per cent increase in seeded winter wheat acreage over last year.

“Winter wheat provides a crop alternative that solves many challenges faced by producers, such as fusarium, wheat stem sawfly and wet spring seeding conditions,” said Pat Kehoe, DUC’s Western Region manager of conservation programs. “It also provides productive nesting habitat for prairie waterfowl. Ducks that choose to nest in winter wheat are ten times as likely to successfully hatch as those that nest in spring-seeded cereals.”

The increase in winter wheat acres is particularly beneficial to northern pintails, a species that has declined since the late 1970s. Kehoe says this benefit to waterfowl has led DU to invest in excess of $3.5 million in support of variety development, agronomic research, producer group support and financial incentives to producers in the past six years.

“New varieties, improved marketing options and the agronomic advantages provided by winter wheat have made it an attractive choice for many producers,” said Garth Butcher, president of Winter Cereals Canada and a winter wheat producer from Birtle, Man. “It is an exciting time in the winter wheat industry and the recently announced seeded acreages this fall support that.”

Winter wheat is a crop that seems well-suited to many recent developments in Prairie Canada agriculture. Expanding markets, such as the Canada Western Red Winter Select Program, feed industry and ethanol, could provide additional sale opportunities. In addition, reduced pesticide input costs and ability to spread work load are factors in the crop’s expansion.

“This dramatic increase in seeded acreage could not have been achieved without the cooperation of our many partners in the agriculture industry and, of course, the Prairie producers,” said Kehoe.