(L-R) Garth Butcher, Winter Cereals Canada, Dean Appelt, Behlen Industries LP, Wade Simpson, Bin Winner, Boissevain and Ken Gross, Ducks Unlimited Canada.

 

 

A farmer from Southwestern Manitoba won a prize this past week.

Ducks Unlimited Canada, Bayer CropScience and Behlen Industries LP announced the

winner of the Bin Full of Reasons challenge in Manitoba.

 

“We are happy to award the first of three Behlen Industries 4,100 bu hopper-mounted grain bins to Wade Simpson of Boissevain,” says Ken Gross, Head of Upland Restoration for DUC. “Out of 65 submissions in Manitoba, this entry was selected as the winner by our panel of judges. I know Wade will put the bin to good use on his southwestern Manitoba farm.”

The Bin Full of Reasons challenge asked agricultural producers to provide submissions of how winter wheat is important for conservation on their farm; whether that be conservation of labour, equipment or the environment. The contest received over 200 entrants from across the three Prairie provinces with the most coming from Saskatchewan farmers.

The early maturity of winter wheat helps producers reduce stress at harvest. By having a crop that is ripe and ready to combine earlier, the workload is spread out, taking the pressure off of manpower and equipment resources.

Simpson’s says on his farm, winter wheat also protects the environment in many ways. “It holds the soil together helps reduce the erosion sometimes caused by the springtime melt of the snow, keeping our lakes and rivers cleaner and healthier. I can't think of any reasons not to grow winter wheat on my farm, it's one of the best crops to grow for both myself and the environment.”

As an additional environmental benefit, winter wheat also provides excellent nesting cover for ducks in the spring and habitat for other wildlife making winter wheat a tool of sustainability to incorporate in cropping rotations.