It was an unusual sight for those in the Perdue area, as a 63 year-old farmer was spotted combining in his field on Monday (January 4th, 2016). The man got through around 20 acres of hard red spring wheat with a #2 grade and a 15.5% moisture content.

John Ippolito, Regional Crop Specialist in Kindersley, said combining wheat in the winter is uncommon, but is a tactic that is often used in other varieties.

"We often rely on the frost to kill the stem in flax or sunflowers so they can be harvested," he said. "But it is uncommon for wheat to be left that long."

According to John, this past fall was a difficult one for flax. Many producers, from this area and the entire province, waited until later before harvesting their crop.

"I had a client in the Elrose area that was out combining about four weeks ago," he added. "He needed to wait to harvest his durum because of volunteer canola popping up in his field. He simply used the frost to kill that canola."

One of the biggest reasons producers wait longer to harvest their crop is due to the moisture in the ground. If the soil is too wet, the equipment will sink, which can result in damage to the equipment as well as the field itself. If the weather is getting colder instead of drying out the ground, producers often will wait until the ground is frozen. This can keep the equipment from sinking, however, it can cause damage to the equipment if there is ice or snow.