Regina, Sask., Wednesday, July 4, 2012 –To showcase why winter wheat is an essential part of your profitable crop mix, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Bayer CropScience, and a variety of other partners are hosting a series of crop rotation and winter wheat field schools this summer across the Prairies.

At crop tours, growers and agricultural retailers will learn about best management practices for growing winter wheat crops. Some of the subjects tackled in these free tours include:

• the newest winter wheat varieties and agronomy research;
• the latest pulse agronomy research;
• late season canola insects;
• expert advice in canola harvest management;
• paybacks of fall weed control; and
• how seed treatments in winter wheat changes everything.

“Winter wheat is a crop that’s value has really been evident over the past couple wet springs,” says Paul Thoroughgood regional agrologist with DUC. “Crop tours and field days are great opportunities to see and hear the benefits first-hand from professional agronomists and other producers.”

Beyond being a smart choice for the environment, growing winter wheat benefits your farm in many ways like:

• increasing return on investment;
• improving overall rotational productivity and profitability;
• spreading out spring and fall workload resources;
• longer harvesting window;
• improving weed control;
• improving efficiency use of inputs; and
• reducing soil erosion.

See the attached backgrounder for more information on each tour or visit growwinterwheat.ca.

For more information, visit GrowWinterWheat.ca or call 1-866-251-3825.

The shared vision of Ducks Unlimited Canada and Bayer CropScience for the future of agriculture includes a stewardship model that recognizes the agricultural productivity of farmland while retaining and improving the habitat available to North America’s waterfowl and other wildlife. As a result, Bayer and DUC have joined together to identify, research and promote cropping system changes that benefit the conservation of our natural resources in an economically viable way. The first step in this relationship is the Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action project.

For further information, please contact: 
Amy Doerksen, a_doerksen@ducks.ca 
Manager, National Communications and Marketing
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Phone: (204) 467-3258

About Ducks Unlimited Canada 
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. Learn more at ducks.ca.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 7,255 million in 2011, is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer Crop­Science has a global workforce of about 21,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries.

Further information on Bayer CropScience Canada is available at: www.bayercropscience.ca.