http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/01/08/winter-wheat.html?ref=rss
Winter wheat trend growing, farmers told
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 | 3:28 PM CT
CBC News
Interest in winter wheat could snowball in the years ahead, a Manitoba agriculture consultant says.
Although the high-starch, high-yield variety has traditionally been a small part of the Canadian wheat harvest, that could be changing, says Greg Kostal, president of Winnipeg-based Kostal Ag Consulting.
Since 2002, fewer hectares of spring wheat have been seeded, while more hectares of winter wheat have been planted.Since 2002, fewer hectares of spring wheat have been seeded, while more hectares of winter wheat have been planted.
(CBC)
He's predicting that demand for winter wheat, which is planted in the fall, will soon outstrip spring wheat.
In fact, Kostal told farmers at a meeting of the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission in Saskatoon Monday, the day isn't far off when spring wheat will be little more than a specialty crop.
There are a number of reasons more and more farmers are turning to winter wheat, he said.
For one thing, the yields are better.
"The high-yielding mid-quality wheats, at least from a revenue side, will, I think, have greater opportunity to generate more profit consistently over hard red spring wheat right now," he said.
The high starch content of winter wheat also makes it more attractive to the ethanol and livestock markets, he said.
By planting wheat in fall, farmers can avoid many of the disease and weather problems of spring-seeded crops, Kostal said.
And now that Canada has abandoned research into genetically modified wheat, he doesn't think spring wheat will be able to remain competitive, he said.
In five or ten years, it might be a specialty crop that caters to a premium market, Kostal said.
MLA agrees winter wheat attractive
Glen Hart, the MLA for Last Mountain-Touchwood who farms with his son near Cupar, Sask., agreed with Kostal that simple economics make winter wheat attractive.
For one thing, the costs of production are lower "because you can avoid some of the pesticides and some of the herbicides," he said.
Hart isn't so sure winter wheat production will ever outstrip that of spring wheat, but he does believe more farmers will grow winter wheat, if only to meet the growing demand for high-starch wheat to fuel the ethanol and livestock markets.
That will cut into the supply of wheat for the food market for things like bread and cake.
According to Statistics Canada, spring wheat is still king ? almost 10 times more hectares of spring wheat than hectares of winter wheat were planted last year.
However, over the past five years, the number of acres of spring wheat seeded declined about 25 per cent, compared to a rise of about 60 per cent for winter wheat.
Winter wheat trend growing, farmers told
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 | 3:28 PM CT
CBC News
Interest in winter wheat could snowball in the years ahead, a Manitoba agriculture consultant says.
Although the high-starch, high-yield variety has traditionally been a small part of the Canadian wheat harvest, that could be changing, says Greg Kostal, president of Winnipeg-based Kostal Ag Consulting.
Since 2002, fewer hectares of spring wheat have been seeded, while more hectares of winter wheat have been planted.Since 2002, fewer hectares of spring wheat have been seeded, while more hectares of winter wheat have been planted.
(CBC)
He's predicting that demand for winter wheat, which is planted in the fall, will soon outstrip spring wheat.
In fact, Kostal told farmers at a meeting of the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission in Saskatoon Monday, the day isn't far off when spring wheat will be little more than a specialty crop.
There are a number of reasons more and more farmers are turning to winter wheat, he said.
For one thing, the yields are better.
"The high-yielding mid-quality wheats, at least from a revenue side, will, I think, have greater opportunity to generate more profit consistently over hard red spring wheat right now," he said.
The high starch content of winter wheat also makes it more attractive to the ethanol and livestock markets, he said.
By planting wheat in fall, farmers can avoid many of the disease and weather problems of spring-seeded crops, Kostal said.
And now that Canada has abandoned research into genetically modified wheat, he doesn't think spring wheat will be able to remain competitive, he said.
In five or ten years, it might be a specialty crop that caters to a premium market, Kostal said.
MLA agrees winter wheat attractive
Glen Hart, the MLA for Last Mountain-Touchwood who farms with his son near Cupar, Sask., agreed with Kostal that simple economics make winter wheat attractive.
For one thing, the costs of production are lower "because you can avoid some of the pesticides and some of the herbicides," he said.
Hart isn't so sure winter wheat production will ever outstrip that of spring wheat, but he does believe more farmers will grow winter wheat, if only to meet the growing demand for high-starch wheat to fuel the ethanol and livestock markets.
That will cut into the supply of wheat for the food market for things like bread and cake.
According to Statistics Canada, spring wheat is still king ? almost 10 times more hectares of spring wheat than hectares of winter wheat were planted last year.
However, over the past five years, the number of acres of spring wheat seeded declined about 25 per cent, compared to a rise of about 60 per cent for winter wheat.