Wheat in the winter?

This guest post was written by 2015-2016 zIMC Candidate Samantha Gorys who is writing a blog on how businesses survive and thrive when they are in a ‘seasonal’ business.

You would probably think that winter on an agricultural farm would have fewer things happening – but boy, you and me would both be wrong.

Rather than looking into just one farming province, I combed the proud Prairie lands of Canada – Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba – and found that farms are still working away, and many of them are even planting past the usual season. While the winter is still the season most farmers dedicate time to the semi, the shop, and the computer – the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Western Winter Wheat Initiative (WWWI) are trying to enable farmers in Western Canada to grow wheat during the winter. The Alberta Wheat Commission even announced a $150,000 investment toward wheat related research and development.

Winter wheat – sound likes an oxymoron, but trust me, it’s a real thing. Winter wheat is a strain of wheat you plant in the autumn, rests during the winter, and continues to grow to be harvested in the spring. The benefit of growing winter wheat, over growing through low-energy greenhouses, is that it addresses the constant need for grains.

Below is a promotional video created by the Albert Wheat Commission and the WWWI, explaining the benefits of winter wheat growing.

Farmers need to consistently be proactive and diligent during the winter. Setting up for the following harvest, and working on budgeting and finances are just as important as tending to the fields – understanding that there is never an off-season in farming.