Canola crops are coming off the field, and mid-September is just around the corner, which means winter cereal seeding is underway in Manitoba.

Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Canada, says seeding should be done by about the third week in September, but can depend on canola harvest, as many areas of Manitoba had reseeded canola acres due to spring frost. Davidson says other crops, including field peas, can have suitable stubble for winter cereals, but canola is the preferred residue.

For producers who haven't already, now is the time to call seed-growers to check for availability. Davidson says it's important to choose a newer variety.

"Falcon, which was so popular in Manitoba for years and years, is no longer a milling wheat, so it's only available as a feed wheat or a general purpose, so that lowers your chances of getting a premium dollar," he says. "Keep yourself in the milling wheat, (because) if you don't make milling, you can always make feed or ethanol, but if you plant a variety that isn't eligible for milling, you're already relegating yourself down."

Davidson suggests varieties of winter wheat like Gateway or Emerson, which is fusarium-resistant.