There are many alternative crops to grow in Manitoba, Quinoa is one.
Farmers are beginning to gain interest in growing the crop considered a super grain. Growing quinoa is not that different from other plants, only requiring a slightly different technique. Percy Philips, founder of Prairie Quinoa, talks about what growing the plant is like.
“It is a matter of a small seed that needs to be planted fairly shallow. So it just means that you go about it a little bit differently than you go about seeding wheat or some of the other crops. You seed at about the same rate as canola. The issue is not so much the seeding or the cultivating techniques it’s more that it usually grows in a dryer part of the world than we do. Weed control is, weed and pest control is more an issue than with other crops."
Compared to 5 years ago, quinoa acres have expanded incredibly. The crop surged from 249 acres in 2012 to 765 in 2014 and 1000 acres are expected this year.
