Reduced Tillage LINKAGES (RTL) has an energetic extension effort to encourage farmers to try winter wheat in rotation. The key to success is direct seeding the crop into standing stubble. Additionally, the newest varieties of winter wheat now offer improved winter hardiness, less lodging, better disease resistance, higher yield, superior quality, and alternative marketing opportunities beyond conventional milling or feed wheat types. Sometimes farmers will say they have tried winter wheat years ago and it didn’t work. Well, perhaps it’s time to take another look and take advantage of what this crop really has to offer a cropping program where margins are tight and every dollar counts.

The vision is that winter wheat can replace spring wheat in the future crop rotations of the prairies. Many winter cereal advocates claim more money can be made growing winter wheat than spring wheat. For the skeptical, here are some facts: 

- Well-managed winter wheat crops out-yield spring wheat most years. 
- Recent variety research has captured nitrogen efficiencies (ie: less lodging) and isnow focused on improving quality issues.
- It gets the jump on winter annual weeds and competes with wild oats, reducing crop spraying. Winter wheat is up and growing before most spring crops even get seeded, taking advantage of early soil moisture from snow melt. - This advantage extends to spraying and harvest operations by balancing the workload. Total farm acres to be seeded in the spring are reduced, allowing more timely seeding of high-value crops like pulse and oilseeds.
- The CWB has also recognized the unique potential of winter wheat by creating a marketing program for specified varieties.

Compare

Winter Wheat  WW (Osprey) vs Spring Wheat  SW (Prodigy)

WW  - Pre-seed burnoff as a pre-harvest management in peas vs SW  - Pre-seed burnoff on May 21

WW -In-crop weed control - $8.95/ac vs SW - In crop weed control $14.00/ac 

WW -Pre-harvest Transorb™ @ 1 Litre/ac vs Sw - Seed treatment @ $ 4.30/ac

WW -Yield– 55 bu/ac #2 CWRW  vs SW - Yield – 53 bu/ac #2 CWRS

Introducing winter wheat in the rotation means growers must consider what to plant ahead of fall seeding. The preceding crop must be harvestable by late August in order to direct-seed winter wheat in early September. Silage crops, green feed, early barley, canola or peas are viable options ahead of winter wheat. Standing stubble or low soil disturbance with furrowing, for snow cover, is essential. Shallow seeding with precisionplaced fertilizer are also crucial factors shown to enhance winter wheat production.