Ducks Unlimited Canada
Nesting in rye
The organization Ducks Unlimited campaigns in Canada to encourage farmers to plant cereals in their fields in the winter so as to provide nesting sites for ducks. The program is giving our hybrid rye a boost.
Ducks nest in cereal fields where hybrid rye from KWS are increasingly grown.
Cereals not only provide food for humans, but also an ideal home for ducks in the winter and spring at the fringes of Canada’s wetlands. “The birds use densely vegetated sites to rear their brood,” says Cole Ambrock, Sales and Marketing Manager KWS Seeds Canada. They could be reed beds or, as is the case here, crop fields. The non-profit organization Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) offers a financial incentive of 20 Canadian dollars per acre (49.50 dollars per hectare) to farmers who decide to grow winter cereals.
The cereal varieties were typically wheat and triticales, says Cole. Five years ago, the western Canadian province of Alberta was the first where the DUC’s own agricultural advisors recognized the potential of hybrid rye and recommended and supported its cultivation as part of the program. “KWS has a 90 percent share of the hybrid rye market in Canada, so that’s where we came in.”
However, hybrid seed is more expensive to purchase than, for example, conventionally bred winter wheat or winter triticale. KWS Canada therefore offers two guarantees to promote hybrid rye: In the event of yield losses due to environmental influences, a discount is given on the next year’s order. And if the hybrid rye performs worse than conventionally bred rye, KWS refunds the difference in the purchase price. The 20 dollars from DUC are a third financial incentive. “Rye is a niche. However, the programs reduce uncertainty for farmers.”
Focus on sustainability
Cole believes the three offers are a big success. Winter cultivation is still a small, but growing market in Canada. “Cultivation of winter crops will increase in view of changing environmental conditions.” Rye can also cope with difficult soils and, from the perspective of sustainability, helps to produce more on them with fewer resources. “By cooperating with Ducks Unlimited, we’re also pursuing one of our ambitions under SP35, namely to strengthen sustainable agriculture.” The focus is not only on reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, but also – as here – on agriculture that is in harmony with nature.
And green, lush rye fields in spring, next to otherwise fallow land, aroused the curiosity of other farmers – even more so when they heard that the hybrid rye’s yield was 40 percent higher than that of conventional varieties. Cultivation of winter wheat is declining, but hybrid rye is on the rise, says Cole. DUC also seems convinced about the cereal’s potential: “Hybrid rye is now part of the program not only in Alberta, but in all Western Canadian provinces.”
Cole describes the collaboration as a win-win situation for both sides: DUC creates more breeding grounds for ducks, and KWS gains in popularity with its hybrid rye. KWS now even sponsors baseball caps that promote both the program and its hybrid rye. All participating farmers are given one, thus creating another customer touchpoint. “And it’s a significant aid in enhancing awareness of our brand even further.” |
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