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Photo: Ducks Unlimited Canada
Craig Shaw admits waterfowl nesting success is pretty low on the list of reasons he grows winter wheat. Still, he likes how this crop fits into his central-Alberta farm’s cropping schedule – and if that’s good for the birds, Shaw considers it a bonus.
From where Dale Soetaert sits, that makes annual crop producers like Shaw a bonus, too.
A conservation program specialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Soetaert is one of two agrologists DUC employs to work with Alberta farmers who grow winter cereals. As part of the company’s Winter Cereals Initiative launched in the 1990s, they’ve developed a group of 70 core growers, including Shaw, who help other farmers maximize the crop’s advantages, such as high yields, market opportunities and an altered workload.
“Our core growers are all opinion leaders in their respective areas. They promote winter cereals by talking to other farmers about the benefits and what they need to do to be successful,” says Soetaert.
The initiative also offers growers agronomic advice by trained agrologists and supports winter cereals workshops. New acreage seeded in high priority waterfowl areas may qualify for a $10-an-acre incentive, too.
“Because winter cereals are seeded in the fall and start to grow early in the spring, they provide waterfowl nesting cover early in the spring breeding season. The early cover also offers some protection from predation. Permanent cover would be even better, but with just over 20-million acres of annual crop land in Alberta, it’s good to know winter cereals work for farmers and waterfowl,” explains Soetaert.
“We like how winter wheat yields. The fact it’s ready to harvest in late August or early September helps us stretch out the harvest work load and that’s especially important,” says Shaw, whose 3,000-acre Lacombe-area farm is a regular stop on local farm tours.
DUC’s Winter Cereals Initiative is critical to boosting acreage because it focuses on helping farmers learn what they need to do right, he adds. That includes learning to seed on time (mid-August to mid-September), seeding shallow (half-inch is ideal) and seeding into standing stubble, key points Shaw often shares at grower meetings and with individual farmers.
Last year, winter wheat acreage across the three prairie provinces hit a 20-year high of 750,000 acres.
Producers like Shaw are the backbone of the initiative, notes Soetaert. “By helping other farmers, they help us help waterfowl, so we all benefit.”
For more information, contact:
Dale Soetaert at (780) 489-2002 or email: d_soetaert@ducks.ca |
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